Trepidation. It comes with the territory of franchise entertainment. There are contracts, commitments, conventions. It’s enough to make actors worry about taking roles (Ethan Hawke expressed those, once saying that superhero jobs require to much work not-acting) or to regret signing those contracts.

But once you’ve signed on, you’re stuck. And that gets to interesting creative situations. Joss Whedon intimated his exhaustion with Marvel earlier this year, when he finished Avengers: Age of Ultron, and said “I couldn’t imagine doing this again. It’s enormously hard.”

Sometimes actors speak out about their exasperating commitments. This would be the Idris Elba path, who described his time as Heimdall on the set of Thor 2 as “torture,” and told his agent he didn’t want to play the part. Only to be told that he signed the contract, and has to stick it out.

But I don’t think I’ve ever seen an actor reject a role as completely as Daniel Craig did this week, in an interview with TimeOut London. Asked if he would do another Bond movie after this year’s Spectre, Craig said: “I’d rather break this glass and slash my wrists. No, not at the moment. Not at all. That’s fine. I’m over it at the moment. We’re done. All I want to do is move.”

Does he care who takes up the role? “I don’t give a fuck,” Craig says.

Will Craig be involved in shaping the role after he leaves? “Oh Christ! How fucking sad would that be?”

Message received.

Daniel Craig first played the role nine years ago in Casino Royal, and Spectre will be his fourth turn in the suit. He managed to turn Bond from a psychopathic misogynist into a man with a tortured history, who kills a lot of people and has serious psychological problems. No small feat, given just how malicious a character James Bond has been over the years.

So, farewell, Daniel Craig. You’ve been the best Bond, ever. I am glad you are released from the Bond Universe, though we’ll certainly miss you.