Casino Royale Star Mads Mikkelsen Reveals What Daniel Craig Is Really Like
Turns out 007 was bluffing: Mads Mikkelsen says Daniel Craig was the only Casino Royale star who didn’t know how to play poker—even as he headlined the film’s high-stakes showdown.
You would think James Bond would own a poker table. Turns out, on the set of 'Casino Royale,' he was the one guy faking it. Mads Mikkelsen just shared a very funny (and kind of perfect) behind-the-scenes detail about Daniel Craig and those high-stakes scenes that made the movie a classic.
The short version
- Mads Mikkelsen says Daniel Craig was the only person on the 'Casino Royale' set who didn’t actually know how to play poker.
- Mikkelsen, who played Le Chiffre, and the other players were regulars; Craig had no clue and still walked off with the win on screen.
- He shared the story in a new chat with Variety while talking up 'Dust Bunny,' Bryan Fuller’s feature directorial debut, which Mikkelsen stars in.
- Craig was under intense pressure at the time, coming from smaller European films into a massive franchise spotlight.
- Le Chiffre’s trademark bleeding eye? They tried practical tricks on set, but it was too painful, so they finished it with CGI.
- Mikkelsen says his favorite scene to shoot was the torture sequence and jokes that Bond had it coming after taking all that money.
- 'Casino Royale' is still widely regarded as one of the best Bond films, and this story somehow makes those poker scenes even better.
'Bond' at the table with training wheels
In a recent sit-down with Variety, Mads Mikkelsen dropped the nugget: the guy playing 007 didn’t know the first thing about poker. Meanwhile, Mikkelsen says he and the rest of the table were serious players during the shoot. The irony writes itself.
'Daniel Craig was the only guy in that film who did not know how to play poker, and he ran away with 150 million of my dollars.'
He laughs about it now, saying the rest of them ribbed Craig for bluffing his way through those scenes. It was all in good fun, but still pretty hilarious considering poker is the whole centerpiece of the movie.
The pressure cooker Craig walked into
Mikkelsen also pointed out that the moment was massive for Craig. Before Bond, Craig was mostly associated with smaller European films. Stepping into 007 is a career earthquake. According to Mikkelsen, you could feel that pressure on set, even as Craig locked in and delivered.
About that bleeding eye
Le Chiffre’s creepy signature — the eye that leaks blood — wasn’t as simple as sticking something in Mikkelsen’s eye and calling it a day. He says they tried different makeup tricks and even putting things in his eye to get the effect practically. It hurt. A lot. In the end, they finished the look with CGI. Sometimes digital is mercy.
The torture scene Mikkelsen loved filming
Yep, that one. He calls it his favorite to shoot. After Bond relieves Le Chiffre of an ungodly amount of cash, Mikkelsen jokes that 007 earned a date with that nasty, double-ended, pointy whipping contraption. Grim, memorable, and still one of the series’ most squirm-inducing moments.
All told, it’s a great little story that makes 'Casino Royale' — already one of the most celebrated Bond entries — feel even more like lightning in a bottle. The guy who couldn’t play poker helped reboot Bond on the back of poker. Go figure.