Daniel Craig has always made daring career choices, seducing a grandmother in one film, and playing Francis Bacon's S&M - inclined lover in another. But taking on the role of James Bond is his biggest adventure yet, says Liz Hoggard

The first time I met Daniel Craig was on the set of Roger Michell's Enduring Love in 2003. He was filming an emotionally draining scene with Rhys Ifans, who played his stalker in the film. The set, the tiny London Review Bookshop, was filled to bursting with cast and crew, but all eyes were on Craig. It was as if no one else existed in the room.

Craig was the model of concentration. But every time shooting stopped, I noticed him assembling an eclectic pile of books behind the till - modern novels, poetry, philosophy, a biography of Bob Dylan - to purchase at the end of the day.

I was impressed. At that point, the industry had Craig marked down as bruiser material. True, his early roles were more brawn than brains: Geordie Peacock in Our Friends in the North; Francis Bacon's burglar lover in Love is the Devil; the gangster son in Road to Perdition. But it doesn't do to underestimate Craig. He is seriously bright; an actor who can play arthouse just as well as blockbuster.

"He is a proper film star." enthuses Matthew Vaughn, who directed him in Layer Cake. "The camera sees an intelligence going on behind the eyes all the time."

"He brings an incredible stillness and complexity to his roles," agrees John Maybury, who directed him in Love is the Deviland The Jacket."He reminds me of Steve McQueen."

And now, with the release of Casino Royale, at cinemas now, he has finally proved why he was an inspired choice for Bond, breathing new life into the franchise. The advance reviews have been triumphant. Craig, critics insist, oozes edgy menace; his sex appeal is off the scale. Craig famously beat off competition from Ewan McGregor, Hugh Jackman, Clive Owen and Eric Bana for the role.

"I really believe that while Sean Connery created the role, Daniel is by far the best actor to have been cast to play the role of Bond," says Maybury.

It hasn't been easy, of course. Ever since the announcement was made, Craig has been subject to criticism. A small group of Bond fans have been particularly vociferous, complaining about Craig's height (at 5ft 11in, he is shorter than most of the other Bond actors), and the fact he is the first blond to play Ian Fleming's dark-haired spy. Craig was teased for wearing a life jacket on the speedboat that took him to his first press conference. Others have claimed, falsely, that he couldn't drive a manual car, that he was afraid of guns, and even of water. "I hate how people have been attacking Daniel Craig," says his co-star Dame Judi Dench, who plays the spy chief M again in Casino Royale. "It's despicable and it disgusts me. I have filmed with him in Prague and the Bahamas and he is a fine actor. He brings something new and edgy to the role. His critics will be proved wrong."

Most importantly producers Barbara Broccoli and her step-brother Michael Wilson, who jointly inherited the Bond franchise from their father, Albert "Cubby" Broccoli, have faith in their home-grown star. "We live here in the UK," says Barbara. "We are familiar with the actors here. I saw Daniel in Our Friends in the North. I saw him in Elizabeth [the 1998 film starring Cate Blanchett], just walking down the hallway. I thought, 'My God.' He does have extraordinary presence. Just look at the body of work. He can be a character actor, but he can also be a leading man. And a star. It's a pretty unique thing. He seemed the obvious choice. And he has surpassed our expectations."