The comedy series Daniel Craig called “razor sharp”
It’s fair to say that the performances of Daniel Craig thus far have primarily been comprised of serious roles. While some of his efforts have had twinges of humour to them, say several of the James Bond films or even his early appearance in the BBC drama Our Friends in the North, for the most part, there’s a serious mood whenever we find Craig on screen.
Craig has only just about managed to avoid being typecast, and many of his films might be linked in terms of their action and dialogue, although perhaps others, for instance, Knives Out, serve as something of a refresher for the British actor. Interestingly, though, Craig once revealed himself to be a big fan of comedy.
In an interview with Groucho Reviews, Craig referred to his so-called “intensity” and made a rather stark admission when it came to him perhaps wanting to get out of his typecast serious roles and into more comedic performances. “I am a great fan of goofy comedy,” the actor said.
He continued: “But I know how hard it is. The mistaken belief is that you watch a very funny film and think, ‘God, they had a great time.’ And I would suggest that they didn’t. I would suggest that there wasn’t that much laughter on the set, because—it’s probably like watching the Marx Brothers—some of my favourite films. I would say those were routines that they worked out.”
Here, Craig is pointing out the fact that the result of a comedy film is all laughs, but the reality of the situation is that they are just as hard work as one with a serious narrative. It was at that point that Craig drew parallels with one of the most famous American dancers of all time, Fred Astaire.
“Fred Astaire rehearsed for months before he did a dance routine,” Craig noted. “So when you see it after he’s rehearsed it seventy times, it’s like, ‘Oh, okay’, and I would suggest that with the Marx Brothers, it was the same thing. There was probably not a giggle on set. But it’s because it’s so beautifully honed—it’s so beautifully thought through.”
Evidently, Craig pays close attention to the production of a feature, regardless of what genre it’s in. He also referenced one of the greatest British comedy series of all time, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant’s The Office and offered the suggestion that the reason that it lands so well, so often, is because it’s so well-written.
“It’s like the television series The Office, which everyone said it must have been improvised,” Craig noted. “And Ricky Gervais, who wrote it, would say ‘No, no, no, no. It’s scripted, absolutely.’ You may laugh while you’re doing it, but actually, the comedy comes across because of the razor-sharp attention to detail.”
