Daniel Craig reveals why he wasn’t embarrassed filming gay love scenes for ‘Queer’

Los Angeles, April 1
Hollywood star Daniel Carig, best known for playing James Bond in five films, described its intimate homosexual moments as essential to the story of “Queer”.

He appeared on the Italian television show ‘Che Tempo Che Fa’ and said: “There are so many things that embarrass me, sex is not one of them... we all do it! Those scenes were important, to show these people physically together. Without that, the film would have been emptier.”

‘Queer’, based on the novel by William S Burroughs, follows American expatriate Lee, played by Daniel, who becomes infatuated with an emotionally distant ex-US Navy serviceman, portrayed by Drew Starkey.

The film explores Lee's obsession and his attempts to determine whether his acquaintance is “queer” through drunken nights out and a journey to the South American jungle, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

Craig, appearing in a beige double-breasted suit with a white shirt and patterned brown tie the Italian show, also spoke about his decision to take on the role.

He acknowledged starring in ‘Queer’ while still playing James Bond would have been difficult.

The actor said: “I couldn’t have done it during Bond. Not because I wouldn’t have wanted to, but because I would have felt really self-conscious with people thinking I was trying too hard to be a good actor.”

The film marked a departure from Daniel’s previous roles, following his tenure as 007 from 2006 to 2021.

He said he had been unfamiliar with the source material before taking on the project, saying: “I’d read William S Burroughs' ‘Junkie’ and think I pretended to read ‘Naked Lunch’ but didn’t know this story.”

Craig described William Burroughs’ work as heavily influenced by drug use and said the film aims to reflect that.

He added: “It is all slightly off-kilter with a modern soundtrack and the feel of a movie from the 1940s. It blurs the lines around homosexuality, which was illegal at the time. You had to have a male front and hide it away with no freedom of expression, and I guess I’ve always been fascinated by the artifice of masculinity.”