Daniel Craig on "Queer" and its depiction of yearning
Daniel Craig is back on the big screen – not as 007, or the smooth Southern private investigator in the "Knives Out" movies, but in the movie "Queer," directed by Luca Guadagnino. Craig plays William Lee, an American living in 1950s Mexico City, who becomes infatuated with Eugene Allerton, another much younger expatriate (played by Drew Starkey).
In one tender and poignant scene, a translucent image of Lee is seen leaning over towards Allerton. "The sort of invisible hand," Craig described it. "is what you're talking about – [something] you hope would happen, yes. The yearning – and hope is a really good word – that something will become of it. Maybe it's falling in love."
Craig's character is an alcoholic and heroin addict, and undeterred by the reticence of Allerton.
I asked, "Do you think that your character Lee is especially ardent in his overture because the Allerton character is aloof?"
"Maybe, maybe," Craig replied. "I also think that he's searching – clearly from the top of the movie, he's searching for something. And he finds Allerton. And he thinks this is it, this is the one, so therefore he throws everything at it – probably awkwardly, and embarrasses himself in the process."
"When you walk into the bar and do that bow, that's (as the young people say) 'very cringe.'"
"Yes. Is that what they say? Yes, it is very cringe!" Craig laughed. "Yeah, yeah. But that sung to me. I've been in situations like that certainly when I was younger, of trying to impress and trying to be kind of that person, and just failing miserably. That really rang out to me."
To watch a trailer for "Queer" click on the video player below:
The movie is based on the book "Queer," Beat writer William S. Burroughs' semi-autobiographical account of his own time in Latin America.
Craig's latest role harkens back to the grittier parts he was known for in Britain pre-James Bond, such as "Other Voices," "Sylvia," "Infamous" and "Layer Cake."
Daniel Craig was born in the north of England, and at 6 years old saw his first stage production. He was introduced to the theater by his mother: "We lived in Liverpool in the '70s. There was a theater called the Everyman, it's still there. They had cheap tickets so everybody could go. A lot of my mum's friends were designers and costume designers and worked backstage. She was a single mum, and we spent most of our time there."
"Was it magical to you?"
"It was, yeah," Craig said. "I think that's the moment I said, 'I wanna be an actor.' I mean, these people would walk off stage, and I'd see them in the bar afterwards. And I'd think they were gods, and they were just drunk!"
His mother's love for theater, it turned out, ran deeper than her son realized. He found out later that, as a young woman, she had been accepted into the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, one of the world's great acting schools. "Yeah, she was, and she hadn't told me," Craig said. "But they couldn't afford to go, so she had to go home, and went to art college instead up North."
He was moved once he found out: "She's always encouraged me. I mean, she sort of gently kicked me out the door, to say, 'Go, get on with it.' All the drama schools are in London, everything that was happening, and she said, 'You gotta go.' I left and went."
He was only 16. "She realized I was failing so badly at school, there was really no other option, I think!" Craig laughed.
He hasn't just been successful; he's one of the most recognized actors on the planet, whether he likes that or not.
I asked, "We interview a lot of big name actors on this show, and a lot of them say they don't like being famous. And it's not that I don't believe it, but I need to understand: what does being famous do to your brain?"
"Oh God, well, that's the big question," Craig replied. "It can do all sorts of wonderful things, of course, and as an actor, why did I become an actor? Because I like dressing up and showing off and I want people to like me. I mean, it's like, you want to sort of distill it down to its absolute basics. But what does fame do? I think fame can take you off in all sorts of weird and strange and not very healthy directions."
"It's gotta make acting harder in a way, because you can't, for instance, easily go on the subway and just look at the person across from you and kind of observe life around you?"
"People watching, yes. Yeah, I did it a lot when I was younger, so I've got a lot in the bank!"
Daniel Craig has always been known for his intensity. But at 56, his next chapter might not be quite as physically rigorous, being 20 years older than when he was first cast as 007 in "Casino Royale." "God, remind me, why don't you?" he laughed. "Life is pain! And that's why I wanted to stop, one of the reasons I wanted to stop, because I'd throw myself into those movies, each one. From the very beginning I've been wanting to do as many stunts and as many of the action sequences as I possibly can. And I've injured myself. And I don't wanna do that. I don't want to take that risk anymore. I've got kids and I've got a life. And I want to spend the rest of my life upright if I can."
"Upright, sort of conserving your energy for them?"
"Well, standing! Yeah, on my own two feet, as opposed to being wheeled around!"
For more info:
- "Queer" is now playing in select theaters
- William S. Burroughs' "Bunker," at 222 Bowery, New York City
Story produced by Kay Lim. Editor: Mike Levine.
