For any actor boasting a full set of testicles, landing the role of James Bond has to be the sweetest gig going. In new OO7 flick Casino Royale (out 17 November), Daniel Craig takes over from Pierce Brosnan to become the sixth man to portray Britain’s longest-serving civil servant – and gets to spend the next few years of his life driving the classiest cars, wearing the sharpest suits and tinkering with the coolest gadgets Her Majesty’s Government can buy. Not to mention toplessly dry-humping the hottest women on the planet. We caught up with him to express our jealousy, and to ask why the beefier, nastier, hard-bastard Bond is a bit of a wuss when it comes to heights…

Is Casino Royale a darker sort of Bond film?

Yeah, it is darker. It’s got all the elements that you would expect. The editing will be very sharp, and it is a bit more violent.

What are we in for?

We go back to the beginning of the James Bond story, and meet him for the first time. At this stage he is a raw character – someone who’s extensively violent. He’s a lone warrior. He’s not out for revenge – he’s out for justice and he’s out to find the bad guys. But he meets someone who he falls in love with and that makes it a huge love story. He gets his heart broken because he gets double crossed. It creates this person who is no longer emotional. That’s it, in a nutshell.

How did you prepare yourself physically?

I thought, if we do this we have to do it properly, and I got a personal trainer who was with me all the time we were filming in Baltimore.

What sort of training did you do?

A lot of weights. I wanted to bulk up quickly. I had a lot of high-protein diets and that sort of thing. By the time we got to the Bahamas, we’d kind of peaked, and that’s where you see me walking out of the water.

Why did you want to look so beefed up?

I wanted Bond to look like he could kill somebody. I’m an actor – I’m not trying to be extra tough – but I wanted him to look physically big.

Did you meet Pierce Brosnan?

I met Pierce a year ago. He was very nice.

What did he say?

He said, ‘Go for it.’ I also needed to talk to him, because I wouldn’t be able to look him in the eye if I hadn’t had a conversation with him, and he was incredibly gracious. He’s a lovely, lovely man.

Apparently you’re scared of heights – is that a problem when you’re making a Bond film?

I have a less of a problem with them now. I look down now. They always say ‘Don’t look down’, but what’s the point of being up there if you don’t look down?The sequence on top of the crane was a huge sequence. That involved eight weeks of shooting. I did as much as I could up there.

Was that the scariest scene for you?

Yes, but the fight scene on the staircase was hard, too. The falling down the stairs was done by Ben, my stunt double, because he knows how to fall – and even he hurt himself. I hurt myself every day when we were doing the action sequences, but I had four stunt doubles – they were dealing with injuries all the time. I had to be quiet about my injuries because they were nothing compared to theirs! The stair sequence was a very difficult scene to fight. All of it was very physically demanding, but I would go back and do it all again, now my body has recovered. But there was one time, when I was 150 feet up on the crane and fighting with my arms aching, when I was thinking: ‘Just get me off this fucking thing!’

How many have you signed up for?

I’ve signed up for two others, and then I can get on with my life!

Does playing James Bond make you feel invincible?

No, it’s more about mortality. I loved having that adrenaline rush. I would advise anybody, whatever they do, once a year to go and take a ride on a roller coaster – or do something that’s just a bit out there – and get a rush of blood, because it wakes you up. It also makes you realise that you are mortal and that life must be enjoyed. There are crazy people who jump out of planes 20 times a day, and it’s because they’re looking for a drug. Adrenaline is a drug, and you have to be careful with it. But you must go and enjoy life. I’d love to go and parachute now.

When you were cast as Bond, there were some who said you weren’t the right choice. How did that affect you?

It affected me in a way that, however prepared I was for it, I couldn’t have seen it coming. The blond thing, for instance…

And how have your friends reacted?

If I do a piece, then my friends’ and family’s opinions mean a lot to me. When I was considering this role, I talked at length to all of them about it – but it didn’t stop them giving me shit about it!

What was your favourite Bond movie when you were young?

When I went to the cinema for the first time, it was Roger Moore’s Live And Let Die, which was a fantastic movie. Sean Connery also defined the role. One of my favourite movies is From Russia With Love, and particularly because it’s with Robert Shaw. He plays the bad guy in it – and he’s blond.

Were you involved with casting of Eva Green as the Bond girl?

Yes, we screened a lot of people for the part, and I was allowed to sit in. I don’t know if they listened, but I did talk about Eva being cast. Eva just has a mystery about her, and that was what was needed. She has something going on.

Do you like the action-figure version of you?

It’s home at the moment, sitting on my kitchen table. I don’t think you can ever be happy with your own action figure; he scowls a lot! He may need to soften a little bit. I’ve also done the head scanning for the videogame to tie in with the film. I’ve had a lot of input in that side of things.

What are you doing with all your free time and money?

I haven’t had time to think about it yet. I would love to get into buying art. I haven’t actually started making money yet. If this is a success, then I will be, and that’s when I’ll think about buying art. It’s very poor taste to talk about money, though. Needless, to say, I’m very happy with my deal. Maybe it’s British reserve. I don’t have an Aston Martin either, but I’d like one.

Watch Casino Royale trailer here

Casino Royale, the 21st film in the James Bond series, is in cinemas from 17 November