14 DAY TRIAL // Daniel Craig might not be the deadliest James Bond in the history of the franchise, and he might never turn out to be the most popular either. However, a new study published in The Grocer magazine and cited by the Daily Mail shows that Craig’s Bond beats all the others at something else: drinking.
That’s right, the latest 007 incarnation, which will return soon in theaters with “SPECTRE,” is the booziest James Bond ever to grace the big screen, coming very close to the “functioning alcoholic” depicted in Ian Fleming’s novels.
Craig’s Bond drinks a lot, too much
According to the study, the least boozing James Bond was the one played by Timothy Dalton, who starred in 2 movies and drank about 4.5 units of alcohol per film. George Lazenby, who only played the character once, more than doubled the amount, to 9 units.
Roger Moore and Sean Connery are at a tie, with 11 units of alcohol per film, while Piers Brosnan drank about 12 units in each one of his movies. Daniel Craig almost doubled that, which helps him take home this dubious distinction of being the booziest spy in the franchise: he drinks 20 units of alcohol per film.
Of course, James Bond is a fictional character, so we shouldn’t be losing sleep over his health or the kind of danger he might be putting himself in, especially when he drinks and then engages in all types of life-threatening activities.
Advertisers make the rules
There is a perfectly logical explanation for why Daniel Craig is at the top of the list and it has to do with the kind of money advertisers are willing to pay the studio to have their products featured in the film.
Heineken and Belvedere are just 2 of the alcoholic brands to tie their name to James Bond’s. Embedded below is the latest Heineken ad with Daniel Craig, in which his 007 doesn’t do all the saving, but an accidental Bond girl does, with some help from Heineken.
“Bond is the most powerful film franchise on the planet. The previous instalment of 007, Skyfall, was the highest-grossing British film, ever,” Rob Brown of The Grocer tells the Mail. “A partnership with 007 can pay big for brands, as booze brands as diverse as Bollinger, Jim Beam, Red Stripe and Heineken will attest. Belvedere's decision to jump into bed with Bond is a landmark moment for the brand.”
