Daniel Craig on ‘Queer’ Sex Scenes, Playing a Heroin Addict and Knowing Drew Starkey Was a ‘Huge Star’ Without Ever Seeing ‘Outer Banks’

Marc Malkin

10 October 2024 at 6:56 pm·2-min read

Singer Omar Apollo makes his acting debut as a hustler who has sex with Daniel Craig in “Queer,” but the James Bond star says he didn’t have to worry about easing the newcomer’s nerves.

“Omar is a beautiful human being,” Craig told me at the recent Barbara Broccoli-hosted screening of the Luca Guadagnino-directed movie at CAA. “You just have to look after each other. That’s all. We’re all adults. We know what it’s about and try to make the scene as real as you can.”

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Based on William S. Burroughs’ novel of the same name, the film stars Craig as an American writer in 1940s Mexico who falls for a young fellow expat, played by “Outer Banks” breakout Drew Starkey.

You appear so dirty in the movie. Your nails are filthy. Did you just want to take a shower all the time?

In the 1940s people didn’t shower as much, maybe there once a week. But we also wanted the ink under his nails because he’s a writer but there are no scenes of him writing in the movie. We wanted to indicate that by having ink under in his nails, reminding us he’s a writer.

I’m in recovery and I have to say I could feel the drugs and the alcohol seeping throughout the movie. There was this almost trippy feeling.

I take that as a compliment. I have friends who are junkies, who were junkies. I’ve watched what it does to them and I’ve watched how those things affect them. But we didn’t want this to be a study of an addict because I don’t think it’s that kind of movie. And also, let’s be honest, Burroughs was a functioning addict for the whole of his life until he died [Burroughs died in 1997 at age 83]. He took it very seriously.

What was your chemistry read like with Drew?

He’s such a beautiful human being. We lucked out that he did the movie to have someone that young and so dedicated and also just savvy about the world.

Have you watched “Outer Banks?”

No, I haven’t, but I know he’s a big star. He’s a huge star. He’s very grown up. He knows what he’s doing. Just dedicated. When you work with dedicated human beings, it makes it very easy.

“Queer” is set for release in theaters Nov. 27.

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