Monday, January 5, 2009

'Defiance' Star Daniel Craig Insists He's Not A Funny Guy

If you think the films Daniel Craig stars in are a bit glum, you may be right. The newest James Bond admits he's really not a lighthearted, romantic-comedy kind of guy. As he recently told MTV News, he's just not a funny guy.

The actor will next be seen January 16 in "Defiance," a film about Jewish brothers in Nazi-occupied Poland who seek refuge with Russian resistance fighters, a role that suits the stoic Brit just fine.

"I'm not a funny man," he said. "That's not who I am."

"Defiance" may not have given Craig the opportunity to show the world his comedic chops (or lack thereof), but it did open his eyes and help him learn about the Nazi resistance movement of World War II.

"I knew there was some resistance," he explained. "I'd read about pockets of resistance, but never in any detail. So when this came along, I was astounded. Once I'd read the book, learning more about it and learning how successful they were, [it] was inspiring."

The film also presented the challenge of playing a character based on an actual person. And working with co-star Jeffrey Wright — who gave convincing performances as Colin Powell in "W.," Jean-Michel Basquiat in "Basquiat" and Muddy Waters in "Cadillac Records" — allowed him to learn a thing or two.

"There is a respect, but at a certain stage, you have to relax about it and just say, 'This is my interpretation,' " he said. "You make judgments and you make assessments. And when you go to shoot it, you just say, 'This is me.' Jeffrey's particularly good at it, though."

Check out everything we've got on "Defiance."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.




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