Not Bonding with My Self

The inevitable question had arisen at Madame Fournier’s dinner tonight. In the course of the meal of braised veal with red peppers and potato cakes, her husband Michel announced, “So, James, I suppose you have heard on Friday of the new actor who is to now play you in the movies. It was in all the media. What do you think of him?”

Not being much of a cinema-goer nor one to keep up on the gossip of the film world, I knew nothing of the new actor recently chosen to now portray me in the film series.
However, I was keen on seeing what he looked like and sought out what photos there were of him on the internet. Well, I can’t say I much see the resemblance. He looks to be a bit of a ruffian, and certainly lacking in a cultured vein. I’m not sure what to make of this choice by the EON people. At least Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman saw the brute in me with Sean Connery and some of the nuances of my persona with George Lazenby. Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan, however, were all largely hit-and-miss affairs.

But the selection of this Daniel Craig chap escapes me entirely. I find it too easy to say that this may be an ill-fated decision, but then, on the other hand, his portrayal may shake and stir things up to revive what had become for far too long a creatively flagging series. I can sense only an extreme outcome in this case: either “Casino Royale” will be an encouraging success or a dismal failure. And even if the result were to fall between the two, I would think that would still make it a failure, since it would only prove that either the actor couldn’t convince or the story couldn’t deliver.

I don’t envy Cubby’s daughter Barbara and stepson Michael, now rulers of the EON empire, in the decision they have made and the consequences that may face them. However, I must say I do feel somewhat slighted by the choice of Craig. So far, I've been able to more or less live vicariously through the previous screen versions of myself, but the absence that I see of any identifiable similarities with Craig makes me wonder if even I shall be able to recognize who it is he’ll be portraying. At this early stage, I’m afraid that I am not bonding with my self.