Daniel Craig gives good-humoured interview to The Sun

He is the secret agent who has bashed baddies in Bangkok, the Bahamas and Brazil. But where next for James Bond in the credit crunch?

Daniel Craig, back as 007 in new film Quantum Of Solace, joked to The Sun last night that if the financial crisis hits Hollywood it could be a case of Bond in Birmingham.

The actor, 40, says: “There are plenty of places we could shoot in the British Isles.

If the credit crunch hits the movie business, who knows?

“Bond in the Lake District, Liverpool . . . or Birmingham.

“In this film Marc Forster, the director, shot in the Barbican and it looks really great — it looks like the London I know.”

Filming Bond in the UK could limit the chance for Daniel to repeat his iconic Casino Royale swimming trunk saunter from the sea scene — but that is fine by him.

He is uncomfortable being an object of desire for women and admits he only has eyes for his film producer girlfriend Satsuki Mitchell.

He says: “She has everything I truly look for. I really love intelligence. I want beauty and I want goodness — I want it all, basically!

“I also want someone who is going to challenge me. And in return I hope I’m going to challenge them.

“I’m very touched by being called a sex symbol. It’s very nice but I have a sense of humour about it.

“On the one hand it’s very flattering but on the other it doesn’t have much relevance in my life.

“I live with somebody, so all my energy goes into our relationship.

“When I have to take my shirt off for the film I don’t feel particularly comfortable with it.

“Obviously, it’s nice to be fit and in good shape but it’s a by-product of the script — it’s not something where I’m always looking to unbutton my shirt.”

In the Quantum Of Solace — out on Friday — Daniel continues Bond’s reputation as a ladies’ man by getting to grips with gorgeous Gemma Arterton and Olga Kurylenko, who play Agent Fields and Camille respectively.

Fortunately, filming sex scenes doesn’t bother Daniel.

He says: “I’m an actor so I’ve been an exhibitionist for as long as I can remember.

“Those love scenes make the shoot a bit easier.

“But I guess if I stopped to think about them it would probably be quite embarrassing.”

Daniel earned hero status following his first outing as Bond and previews for Quantum Of Solace have been equally well-received.

But the star insists he would never compare himself to Our Boys and Girls fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Quantum Of Solace’s London premiere tomorrow night is in aid of The Sun-backed Help For Heroes campaign and The Royal British Legion — two charities which help injured soldiers and their families.

Princes William and Harry — who have both served in the Forces — are attending the screening.

Daniel says: “Playing a hero doesn’t compare to the heroics of our soldiers.

“Obviously, I would never be so arrogant as to compare myself to them. It’s great that we can make this gesture with the premiere and support the young men and women who have been injured and who are putting their necks on the line for us at the moment. Forgetting that would be awful.”

Despite his humility, Daniel had a tough time filming the latest Bond instalment. Quantum Of Solace has twice as many stunts as Casino Royale and it has taken its toll on the film’s lead.

The actor, with his right arm in a sling, says: “It’s been a whole new set of injuries on this one.

“I had so many pulled muscles and things like that.

“I’ve been even more physically involved in every aspect of this film.

“On Casino Royale, I pulled my Achilles tendon and was limping around and was in pain a lot of the time.

“This time I managed to slice the end off a finger in a fight sequence. I guess accidents are bound to happen. We’ve certainly not held back, that’s for bloody sure.”

When it was announced Daniel was replacing Pierce Brosnan as 007, many feared he was too serious to capture the cheeky self-confidence of Bond.

But while he has appeared in a number of hard-hitting movies, Daniel claims he is guilty of not taking things seriously enough.

With a wry smile, he says: “I tend to giggle a lot, probably way too much, and I tend to get in trouble for it. I guess that’s not very Bond-like.

“When we are on set we try to keep things as light and as easygoing as possible. Everyone is away from home and missing their loved ones and friends. It’s important to keep things fresh.

“Dame Judi Dench, who plays M, likes to tell jokes — but I wouldn’t like to embarrass her by repeating them.”

Despite his success as the secret agent, many fans have been disappointed by the absence of old Bond favourites in Daniel’s films, such as secretary Miss Moneypenny and gadget expert Q.

But the good news is that Daniel — who has had a large say on the scripts in his two Bond ventures — is keen to see them return.

He admits: “I think we can introduce Moneypenny and Q back into their roles. We have got to offer them to the best actors possible.

“I also think there’s a place for submarine bases — that’s the way forward for me.”

With two movies under his belt Daniel could be forgiven for assuming the 007 licence to kill is his until he decides to give it up.

But he believes he cannot take the role for granted and that his dream job could be taken away from him.

He says: “I’m only borrowing the character. I think someone will come along and do a better job than me.

“Bond belongs to Ian Fleming and producer Barbara Broccoli.

“I would love to do another one. Maybe I’m just pessimistic but I’ll see how it goes.”

With Quantum Of Solace set to match the box office success of Casino Royale, Daniel is hoping there is more glory on the way — for his beloved football team Liverpool.

He was delighted that the Reds ended title rivals Chelsea’s 86-match unbeaten home record with a 1-0 win on Sunday.

And while he feels there is another actor waiting to step into Bond’s shoes, there is one man he does think is truly irreplaceable — Liverpool striker Fernando Torres.

Daniel says: “I think there is a pretty good chance that Liverpool can win the league. Get Torres back and we will be pretty unbeatable.”

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