James Bond fans believe they have found the film that convinced producers to cast Daniel Craig in the titular role, with his turn as a crime syndicate member winning him the role
Film fans were full of praise for the movie which landed Daniel Craig the role of James Bond. Craig would portray the Ian Fleming character a total of five times, starting with 2006’s Casino Royale. He caught the eye of producers not just through his audition but through a role in a British cult classic which released just two years before.
Fans are now praising the gangster flick which landed Craig the role of 007, with one scene from the film in particular standing out. A post to the r/TodayILearned subreddit had fans share the scene which landed Craig the role as it seemingly convinced James Bond movie producer Barbara Broccoli to give him the part.
The post received praise from fans for highlighting the one scene in particular, which makes up part of the 2004 crime drama, Layer Cake.
It reads: “Daniel Craig got the role of James Bond mostly thanks to a scene from the movie Layer Cake where he acts a ‘Bondesque’ performance when his characters is trying a handgun in hallway.
“While already nominated for the role, producer Barbara Broccoli was convinced to cast him for the role of 007.” Others believe the film is a masterclass of a feature, which also stars Michael Gambon and future James Bond cast member, Ben Whishaw.
Whishaw would portray Q in three of the five Daniel Craig-led Bond films, while the Layer Cake star would play the secret agent between 2006 and 2022.
One fan wrote: “Layer Cake is an amazing movie and highly recommended to anyone who enjoys Guy Ritchie flicks (directed by one of his closest associates Matthew Vaughn).”
Another added: “I’m watching the movie as I type this and as soon as I saw him aim the gun at himself in the mirror I was like ‘woah, that’s gotta be the scene that made him Bond.'”
A third shared: “Just saw the scene and instantly knew this is how he got the role.” It comes as fans of Casino Royale are only just realising Craig didn’t know how to play poker for his scenes in the film.
The particular scene comes as Bond is tasked with playing poker against a series of characters including Le Chiffre. Mads Mikkelsen, the actor who plays villainous Le Chiffre, says everyone at the table, except for Craig, knew how to carry out the scene.
It’s an oversight which makes the film all the better, according to fans. They are highly amused to learn that Craig, despite playing the suave spy, was “awful” at poker.
A post to the r/TodayILearned Reddit page reads: “Despite his lead role as James Bond in Casino Royale (2006), Daniel Craig was reportedly awful at Poker.
“Le Chiffre actor Mads Mikkelsen recalled, ‘Everybody knew how to play poker actually around that table, except for one, Daniel. He had no clue. He sucked.'”