Daniel Craig has recalled the moment that he broke Dave Bautista's nose on the set of the 2015 James Bond film Spectre before promptly fleeing the scene in fear.
Ahead of the upcoming release of No Time To Die, Craig appeared as a guest on The Graham Norton Show, where he divulged the details of some of the worst James Bond injuries he's experienced. The 007 actor recounted an incident that occurred on the set of Spectre while filming the memorable train fight sequence between Bond and Bautista's assassin Mr. Hinx.
"I broke his nose. I didn't do it deliberately. Clearly, it was a mistake," Craig said, reflecting on the choreographed clash. "He's a big guy, he's a professional wrestler. You really wouldn't mess with him. I threw this punch and hit him on the nose. I heard this crack and I was like 'Oh God no' and ran away. I thought he was going to come after me but he was so sweet."
"He's a lot tougher than I am," Craig said of Bautista, recalling how he set his nose back in place to continue production. The Bond actor admitted that Bautista was being "gentle" with him during one part of the fight scene, so he encouraged his co-star to be more forceful in the brawl, but it actually resulted in a serious knee injury that temporarily halted production.
"I ended up on the wall, but my knee was over here somewhere," Craig explained, gesturing some distance away from him. "I knew and it was horrible because if anyone's had an injury, you just know in your head that something is really wrong… I was out and then we went back and we re-filmed it. I had to film it with a brace on. It was a struggle to do it."
Craig first portrayed Bond in the 2006 film Casino Royale. He reprised the role in 2008's Quantum of Solace, 2012's Skyfall and 2015's Spectre, all of which have collectively grossed more than $3.1 billion at the worldwide box office. Craig is officially bidding farewell to the 007 franchise with No Time To Die, which is the longest James Bond movie to date.
The star has suffered numerous scrapes and breaks across the five films in which he has portrayed the 007 Agent, including No Time To Die. "I was literally walking down a plank," Craig said, sharing the story of his most recent ankle break. "I wasn't even running, I wasn't even doing anything action-based. I just walked down, slipped, and fell over. It was so stupid."
Craig's final outing as Bond is almost upon us, with the world premiere of No Time To Die set to take place at the Royal Albert Hall on September 28 following a number of delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The film will then feature its theatrical release in the UK on September 30 before releasing in the US on October 8 and in Australia on November 11.
Adele Ankers is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.