This is The New Yorker Radio Hour, a co-production of WNYC Studios and The New Yorker.

This is the New Yorker Radio Hour. I'm David Remnick.

Daniel Craig made his career as an actor first in the theater and in British indie films.

And when he showed up in Hollywood, he was usually in smaller roles often as a villain.

So in 2005, Daniel Craig seemed as surprised as anyone to find himself cast as the original

super spy, Ian Fleming's James Bond.

I'm looking most forward to actually starting, getting on with it, and being intimidated just by just about everything.

Are you looking forward to becoming a legend?

Oh, I don't know about that.

Why would I betray you?

Fifteen years later comes no time to die. Daniel Craig's fifth and final appearance as Bond.

Critics said he revitalized the franchise presenting a more complex, morally compromised bond, suited to our times.

And yet, Daniel Craig hasn't always been thrilled with the life of a blockbuster action hero.

He's gone back to the theater whenever he could.

And as he takes off Bond's Tuxedo now, he's preparing to play Macbeth on Broadway.

You know, I remember seeing you as a Iago in a production,

a terrific production of Atello.

And I had to wonder what the different, radically different challenges of playing Iago is in a relatively small room playing Shakespeare in the course of two and a half hours or however, however long it takes to put on in a given night,

as opposed to these sprawling, epic, comic, serious action feats, it just has to be incredibly radical, much more radical than playing violin in the London Symphony

and then playing in a rock band. It just seems so disconnected. How are they connected? How not?

Both of which I wish I could do. Yes. I mean, listen, on a purely acting level, when you're doing it, there's little difference

because you're trying to aim for some truth. You're trying to aim for some to ground things

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