September 4, 2024, published at 4:30 PM ET
Daniel Craig has left his macho James Bond persona behind for a moving portrayal of a drug-addicted gay man in his latest film.
RadarOnline.com can reveal that the actor has opened up about his new role in Foreign – with graphic love scenes with an “emotional punch”.
Craig, 56, said they wanted to make the love scenes “as moving, as real and natural as possible”.
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Foreign premiered at the Venice Film Festival, where Craig hit the red carpet in a cream suit and aviator sunglasses. The film, directed by Luca Guadagnino, is based on the novel by William S. Burroughs.
At a press conference ahead of the screening, Craig said: “Foreign is this emotional wallop, a small book but an emotional wallop.
“It’s about love, it’s about loss, it’s about loneliness, it’s about longing, it’s about all these things.”
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The film follows Craig’s character, William Lee, an aging writer in 1940s Mexico City who becomes obsessed with the much younger Eugene Allerton, played by Drew Starkey.
Craig said of the film’s script, “If I were to write a role for myself and check off the things I wanted to do, this would fulfill them all.”
The film has received critical acclaim so far, which is a testament to the Skyfall Star’s dedication to bringing his character’s love story to life in one of his most transformative roles yet.
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Packed with sex scenes, Craig said he was committed to making the moments with Starkey feel as “natural” as possible – including rehearsing months in advance.
He said: “There’s nothing intimate about filming a sex scene on a film set – there’s a room full of people watching you.
‘We just wanted to make it as moving, as real and natural as possible.
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“We had a little laugh, we tried to make it fun.”
Starkey added, “If you’re rolling around on the floor with someone on the second day of knowing each other, that’s a good way to get to know someone.”
Although Burroughs wrote the book in the 1950s, he did not share the work with the world until he was convinced to publish it in 1985.
Guadagnino said: “There was a very strong element of modesty in Burroughs. It was too close to that book, he couldn’t even deal with that, he had to put it aside.”
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The director added that he was attracted to the project because of the “idea of seeing people and not judging them” and “making sure that even the worst person is the person you identify with”.
He continued, “It’s so purely and deeply human and that’s what the filmmaker’s job should be, to find humanity in the darkest and brightest corners.”
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