LOS ANGELES, California — “I’ve nailed two, so only another two to go,” quipped Daniel Craig, trying to make light of the challenge of doing two more James Bond movies. He is under contract to do a total of four 007 films.

Last Monday afternoon, Daniel talked to journalists about his second one, “Quantum of Solace.” By this time, the whole world knows that Daniel proved early detractors wrong in his first outing, “Casino Royale.” Not only did he bring a critically acclaimed dose of real danger, rugged, sexy charm and acting cache to one of cinema’s most beloved icons; he also helped propel “Casino Royale” into the highest-grossing Bond movie ever.

The exciting, extra realistic stunts he did in “Casino” and now, in “Quantum of Solace,” came with a price, however. While Daniel said that he’s had a labral tear—“a kind of separation of the shoulder”—for years, the condition was probably worsened by those stunts. So he recently had a surgery to remedy the tear, before he does more jumping around in his next two Bond capers. “I had a shoulder reconstruction,” he said. “Six pins were put in there and it’s all good. The surgeon said it’s all fine.”

Daniel looked dashing even with his right arm on a sling, a fashionable contraption in black (not your regular variety sling) to match his all-black suit, shirt and tie ensemble. A lady reporter couldn’t help but swoon and tell Daniel, “You are so incredibly elegant!” Two unsmiling security guys stood on each side of the room—a rare sight in these press cons. Were they around to rescue 007 in case the adulation got out of hand?

Sex on a stick

“Thank you,” he said, his cool, piercing blue eyes directed at the writer. “You embarrass me,” he added but he said that with a smile. He was honestly flattered. If that compliment flustered the 40-year-old bloke a bit, this line from a “Quantum” review by CNN’s Glen Scanton probably made him blush: “He is, frankly, sex on a stick.”

“I am given very nice suits to wear,” Daniel said, trying to give more credit to the suits, not to his looks, which register better onscreen. “I would be stupid not to put them on. I’ve always liked good tailoring. I’ve just never been able to afford it. If I get beautiful suits made for me, it would be a sadness to leave them in the wardrobe.”

Asked about Marc Forster, who was a surprise choice to helm a Bond movie, given his string of character-driven films that are not exactly brimming with high testosterone action scenes, Daniel answered, “I was thrilled by the fact that he was going to direct the movie. I’ve been an avid fan of his. Marc’s versatility as a director is apparent and plain to see if you look at his track record and his movies, from ‘The Kite Runner’ to ‘Monster’s Ball’ to ‘Finding Neverland.’ These movies tackled incredibly different subject matter with very different styles. We needed a storyteller for this. He and I had long conversations about our favorite movies, our favorite Bond films and what have been the influences in our careers.”

“We wanted to make the most stylish and beautiful Bond movie we could,” Daniel continued. “We needed to go to the best locations and get the best actors to leave a proper mark on this franchise. We owed it to the Bond fans but also to the Bond franchise. Marc is a genuine joy to work with. He is meticulous, absolutely fastidious about what he does. I would run to work with him again.”

Jaw-dropping scenes

The result is a Bond movie with some gravitas which the franchise owners, the Broccolis, reportedly wanted. The requisite jaw-dropping action scenes are still present, which this time includes a truly spectacular dogfight, an opening car chase scene and a fight over real rooftops in Sienna, Italy.

The critics and movie-going public will weigh in on Marc’s suitability as a Bond film director but what is undeniable is this: it was a not a fluke—in his sophomore appearance as 007, Daniel truly is the best among all the actors who have played Ian Fleming’s agent, with the possible exception of Sean Connery. Asked if Sean has gotten in touch with him since he debuted as Bond, Daniel replied, “I haven’t spoken to him. Apparently, he said he liked the movie (‘Casino’) so I couldn’t be happier with that.”

Daniel portrays a Bond shaken by the apparent betrayal and death of the one woman he truly loved, Vesper Lynd, in “Quantum,” which starts one hour after the end of “Casino.” The new movie is thus the first ever direct sequel in the 007 movie series. Bond here is constantly bruised and unable to sleep because he wants to avenge his beloved’s death (Eva Green in “Casino”). On his journey across exotic locations from Bolivia to Austria, he tussles with his boss, M (Judi Dench, always absorbing) and encounters Camille (magnetic former model Olga Kurylenko), Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric, superb in our personal favorite, “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”) and Mathis (veteran Italian actor Giancarlo Giannini), the M16 contact whose trustworthiness is doubted by Bond in “Casino.”

“Marc and I agreed that forgiveness is a very important part of the story,” Daniel described the screenplay of Oscar winner Paul Haggis, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade. “If you read the Ian Fleming story, it’s about that moment in a relationship where if it disappears, there’s nothing left. That’s what Bond is searching for. I love that scene where Giancarlo’s character asked Bond to forgive. He’s asking Bond to be at peace with himself and part of that is forgiving Vesper, realizing that he was in love with her and she was in love with him.”

(To be continued tomorrow)

E-mail the columnist at rvnepales_5585@yahoo.com and read his blog, “The Nepales Report,” on http://blogs.inquirer.net/nepalesreport.