When you think about iconic directing combinations, you think of actors and directors who love to collaborate. Or you think of who you’d like to see work together. And while I’d love for Taika Waititi and Daniel Craig to work together, this isn’t exactly what I thought would happen first.
Joining their powers together to create an ad for Belvedere Vodka, the pair gave us Daniel Craig walking (at first) to a Rita Ora and Giggs song before the video moves into Daniel Craig dancing around and having the time of his life, and honestly, I can’t explain why I am obsessed with this. Just know that it is all I can think about currently.
Is Daniel Craig my own personal Jesus? I can’t say, but he does walk on water in this.
Okay here’s the thing about Daniel Craig: He’s genuinely funny. But because he’s been so lost to the world of James Bond and, by extension, things like The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, I think that Craig has gotten a more serious lens thrust on him. Things like Knives Out and Logan Lucky helped, but getting to see him this unapologetically fun and dancing around for a vodka brand? That’s the Daniel Craig I know and love.
Belvedere Vodka had the following information about the team behind the ad: “Courageous in spirit with a warmly rebellious energy, the campaign unites an exceptional community of collaborators. Craig has been skillfully and humorously choreographed by celebrated choreographer JaQuel Knight, to an original track written and performed by global superstars Rita Ora and Giggs and produced by hitmakers Invisible Men, Bandits and Hungry Man. The accompanying campaign stills were photographed by the iconic Juergen Teller, in the same suite that sets the scene of the movie’s grand finale whilst Christine Centenera, has styled the shoot with a clean, modern edge.”
Let Daniel Craig have fun
The Director’s Cut version of the ad includes an ending where Taika Waititi calls cut and tells him to just be himself, and it’s honestly really fun watching the “bloopers,” where Craig is laughing with Waititi and jumping in a pool. From everything I’ve seen of Craig, he’s genuinely funny, but we don’t get to see it that often in his work.
This has the same energy that he brought to a lot of his turn as Macbeth in the Scottish Play on Broadway—a show where he literally cracked open a beer and chugged it at one of the most important moments of the entire Shakespeare play.
My point is that Craig has the ability to be silly and goofy, but because many of us found him through his portrayal of James Bond, there is an air of seriousness that takes over instead of recognizing that Daniel Craig is actually one of our funniest actors out there—made clear by him willingly dancing around a hotel as he goes to get some vodka in a tank top and tight pants.
(featured image: screenshot from Belvedere Vodka’s ad)
