Daniel Craig had to steal to eat before he made it as an actor

Daniel Craig's journey to becoming one of the world's most bankable actors involved stealing a frozen duck.

The British star, who eventually went on to secure the coveted role of James Bond, had to steal food just to survive.

Years before playing the world’s most recognisable secret agent, Craig and his former girlfriend forged a crazy plan to grab a frozen duck for food because they had no other option.

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In a 2012 interview to promote Skyfall, the Knives Out star said he and his ex pinched the duck by pretending she was pregnant.

“A whole frozen duck,” he told Rolling Stone about the meal they stole.

“I played decoy, and she got it up her skirt, which was quite a feat, I have to say, but she did it with aplomb, pretending she was pregnant."

While he didn't name the supermarkets he stole from, he said they could all 'afford' the loss of a duck or two.

“By the way, I only stole from supermarkets that could afford it. I want to make that perfectly clear. But, f**k, you know, we didn’t have anything to eat, and we had to feed ourselves.”

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Craig’s early struggles thankfully paid off and he no longer has to steal ducks from supermarkets.

When he left school at 16 he moved to London to become an actor and was eventually accepted into the National Youth Theatre and after a while he started getting small parts on TV by the age of 18.

But he wasn’t making enough to splurge on luxury Michelin-starred meals. He told the publication that he’d spend the little money he made on ‘beer and smoked salmon’ and for dinner he’d usually have ‘f***ing chicken or beef stew.’ He’d also avoid paying rent sometimes.

In 1992, when he was 23, he married actress Fiona Loudon and they had a daughter named Ella the same year.

The couple got divorced in 1994. He has been married to actress Rachel Weisz since 2011.

Elsewhere in the interview, Craig said his head 'exploded' during puberty. He confessed: "You want this nice, lovely image of me having my first kiss with hearts sparkling in the background? All I wanted to do was get in the girls’ knickers.

"I’ve been kissing girls, like stolen kisses in playgrounds, for as long as I can remember."

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The 55-year-old Glass Onion star has since added countless classics to his resume, including Our Friends in the North, Elizabeth, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Layer Cake, the latter is credited with helping him secure the role of 007.

He starred in five films as Bond, starting with Casino Royale (2006) and followed by Quantum of Solace (2008), Skyfall (2012), Spectre (2015) and finally No Time to Die (2021). Only Sean Connery and Roger Moore fought villains in more films, with six and seven credits respectively. But with 15 years between his first and final Bond film, his tenure actually edges out Moore (12) for the longest-serving 007.