Daniel Craig opens up on private moment with the Queen
Actor Daniel Craig has reflected on the time he spent with Queen Elizabeth while filming the opening James Bond skit for the London 2012 Olympics.
The 53-year-old actor appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Wednesday, where the talk show host asked what Her Majesty is like behind closed doors.
"I understand that you may not be able to answer this question, but I'm gonna ask anyway: What's she like in private?" the US TV host said.
To which the 007 star replied, "Very funny. Very funny."
He said the Queen was "cracking a joke" at the actor's expense when they were posing for a photo opportunity.
Daniel recalled, "We were having our photographs taken and she just went, 'Oh no, he's the one that doesn't smile. Fair enough!'"
He also admitted that in between filming the skit in Buckingham Palace, he was "rolling around on the floor" with the Queen's corgis.
He said, "I think they have their own footmen, they're very friendly."
In the famous skit, Daniel Craig portrays his famous James Bond persona, as he arrives at Buckingham Palace to escort the Queen to the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games.
The memorable scene ended with stunt performers, doubling for Bond and the Queen, jumping out of the helicopter and parachuting into the stadium.
Speaking about the skit in 2012, Daniel said, "It wasn't supposed to be funny. It was supposed to be serious."
"She was fun, incredibly game. We had a short space of time and I was a bit grumpy as it was my day off and suddenly I am at the Palace with the Queen at her private chamber."
"And she improvises a little bit. She was supposed to be sitting at the desk and she asked if she could write, so she pretended to write."
In 2019, the Queen's dressmaker and confidante Angela Kelly revealed it took "just five minutes" to persuade Her Majesty to appear in the skit.
You can watch the iconic skit below.
Image credits: YouTube - Olympics