The Poster Memorabilia blog

Meeting the New James Bond

London, 2006 — two sisters, one lucky spot at the barrier, and 007 on his very first night.

By an anonymous Hollywood insider

It's almost wild to think that Daniel Craig will no longer play James Bond. He's been portraying the iconic British spy since I became an adult, and I saw his big debut almost two decades ago. I actually got to meet him and the rest of the cast of Casino Royale at its world premiere.

The year was 2006, and I was in London on vacation for the first time since I started working. I really lucked out with a great job, and when I earned enough to splurge, I chose the UK as my dream destination. And it just so happened that I was in the big city when the latest James Bond film held its world premiere.

I was never a big fan of Bond myself, but I didn't want to waste this opportunity. There aren't a lot of people who could say that they met 007 in person, much less on their very first time in the role. Even before he went on to have an iconic career as Bond, I already knew that if I didn't meet Daniel Craig at the time, I'd regret it.

By this point, I'm probably making it sound like going to a movie premiere is easy, and while it's not the most difficult thing in the world, it was definitely challenging. My sister and I had to make several phone calls and scour the net to get tickets, and this was long before you could just tap a couple of buttons on your phone and be done with it.

We eventually got them and even scored a copy of the movie poster. I gotta admit, the site we purchased from seemed pretty sketchy, but time was running out, and we had to make do with what we had. Luckily, our tickets were legit, and we even scored a great spot in the fan area.

And when I say it was a great spot, I'm not kidding! My sister and I were front and center and saw all the action. The celebrities couldn't miss us, and they didn't. One by one, the cast came by, and we got to shake their hands and have them sign our poster.

“I could already tell that he was gonna stay for a long time.”

Naturally, the highlight was meeting Daniel Craig. It was his first movie as Bond, but I could already tell that he was gonna stay for a long time. The man looked smooth and handsome, with a swagger you'd expect from 007. I remember many were skeptical at first, but if they'd seen him in person, those doubts would’ve gone away in a second.

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He already had a rugged look that was perfect for Bond, and he also had the right aura. He didn't need to do much to evoke sex appeal, and even when paired with the stunning Eva Green, he still stood out.

Speaking of Eva Green, now that's a beautiful woman. She was one of the cast members we met and got autographs from that night, and wow, was she gorgeous! There was never a more perfect Bond girl to start this new era, and I always found it a shame that she didn't star in more Bond films after Casino Royale.

Anyway, I’m glad my sister and I took our chances and got to meet Daniel Craig at the premiere of his first Bond film. He went on to star as 007 in many more movies over the years, so to me, he’s the quintessential James Bond.

Some things you watch. This one you keep.

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