FOR 15 years he played one of the most iconic roles in cinema.

Galavanting from one exotic location to the next while romancing beautiful women and mercilessly eradicating villains hellbent on bringing chaos to the world.

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But four years on from his final outing as celebrated British spy James Bond, Daniel Craig, 56, looks very different from 007.

The legendary actor appeared on Italian chat show Che Tempo Che Fa over the weekend and was in fine form.

He spoke fondly on his time as Bond, telling host Fabio Fazio: “I still can’t believe it, it was an honour. But I can’t take a step forward, get out of it, because it was an important part of my life.”

As a cultural export, his Bond duties went beyond the big screen and he famously filmed a London Olympics sketch in 2012 with the late Queen.

“The Queen was incredible, wonderful, she had so much fun,” he said. “She made a lot of jokes and even improvised.”

Daniel has been selective in his roles since stepping away from MI6. He has appeared in Knives Out and its sequel, Glass Onion, and most recently in the period drama Queer.

Based on a book by William S. Burroughs, Daniel plays gay American writer William Lee, who haunts dive bars in Mexico City looking for his next sexual conquest.

That is before he becomes fixated on seaman Eugene Allerton and a desire to get to know him better.

The acclaimed flick has lots of sex scenes, but then so did Bond.

And Daniel has no issues romping on screen when the role requires it.

He said: “There are so many things that embarrass me, sex is not one of them. We all do it.”

Back in the December edition of GQ, Daniel discussed transitioning away from Bond and the focus on the roles he chooses to take.

He said: “I understand it, and totally get it, but my brain, as opposed to anyone else’s brain, doesn’t work in that way. I just look at it as lovely opportunities to do something that is… I’m older. I mean, it’s more to do with that than it has to do with anything else. I’m just older and just, I care less.

“I mean, I’ve had a really, really long career — a glorious, long career, which I’m still enjoying, and I’d like to go a bit longer. And all of those things play into where I am.

“I’ve been pushed into incredible situations through Bond, and just amazing experiences. But I had to learn on my feet on my way, because no one could teach me how to do it. And now I’ve done it, I go, ‘Oh, that’s great.’”

Daniel’s Bond career began back in 2006 and Casino Royale. He went on to appear in four more films – Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, Spectre and No Time To Die in 2021.

He is widely credited with bringing Bond into the 21st century, portraying the character as a rougher, more emotionally rounded figure than past instalments.

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