"There's a passion about this because people take it very close to their hearts and they have grown up with James Bond - and so have I. But I was being criticized before I had presented anything, so it was name calling"
About this Quote
The line about being “criticized before I had presented anything” points straight at the pre-performance judgment that defined his casting in 2005: the “Blond Bond” panic, the tabloid sneer, the online pile-on. Craig’s point isn’t just that the criticism was unfair; it’s that it was premature, aesthetic, and tribal. “Name calling” is deliberately small language for a very modern phenomenon: culture-war energy attached to a franchise, where arguments about tone, masculinity, and tradition get laundered through petty insults.
Subtext: this isn’t about hair color, height, or whether he fits a poster. It’s about who gets to define the “real” Bond, and how quickly an iconic role turns into a referendum on identity. Craig’s frustration lands because he isn’t asking for applause; he’s asking for the basic civic courtesy of being judged on the work.
Quote Details
| Topic | Movie |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Craig, Daniel. (2026, January 17). There's a passion about this because people take it very close to their hearts and they have grown up with James Bond - and so have I. But I was being criticized before I had presented anything, so it was name calling. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/theres-a-passion-about-this-because-people-take-52545/
Chicago Style
Craig, Daniel. "There's a passion about this because people take it very close to their hearts and they have grown up with James Bond - and so have I. But I was being criticized before I had presented anything, so it was name calling." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/theres-a-passion-about-this-because-people-take-52545/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"There's a passion about this because people take it very close to their hearts and they have grown up with James Bond - and so have I. But I was being criticized before I had presented anything, so it was name calling." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/theres-a-passion-about-this-because-people-take-52545/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.







