Daniel Craig was “so scared” on the first day of shooting Queer that he couldn’t stop shaking.

In the adaptation of William S. Burroughs’s semi-autobiographical novella, the former James Bond star plays William Lee, an American expat in 1950s Mexico City who falls for a young former soldier called Allerton.

Craig spent months preparing for the role by working with an acting coach, rehearsing his accent and watching old footage of Burroughs. But no amount of preparation could have stopped him from being overcome with nerves on the first day of filming.

“I’ve been working on the voice and doing all these things, but still, you’re just f**king scared,” he told The New York Times, before recalling his very first take. “I was shaking, literally shaking. (Director) Luca (Guadagnino) came up to me and it was like he snapped his fingers: He said, ‘Just loosen it.'”

The Knives Out star then quipped, “And you know, I’m a tight-a**ed Englishman.”

Elsewhere in the interview, the British actor admitted that the job becomes harder as he ages because he treats each role with the utmost seriousness and struggles to switch off when he’s at home.

“I’m not a method actor, but I’m a nightmare to be with when I’m working. I want to go home and forget it all and just be normal and be like, ‘Hey, family,’ but half my brain’s at work,” he confessed.

Because of this, Craig has become more selective about the project he selects, saying, “I’ve got a 6-year-old at home and I don’t want to be away from home as much as I have in the past.”

Craig shares his daughter with his actress wife Rachel Weisz. They also have children from previous relationships.

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