Daniel Craig is a highly successful actor, having played James Bond in four films so far, with a fifth in the works. In 2012 alone, when Skyfall was released, he made $951 million at the box office, making him the fourth-highest grossing actor of the year.
But it seems likely that his children won’t inherit that financial success.
In an interview with Candace magazine, Craig said that the idea of leaving his inheritance to his children makes him “very uncomfortable,” and therefore he doesn’t plan on leaving them much.
“There’s an old saying that if you die rich, you’ve failed,” Craig said (as reported by The Telegraph). “Andrew Carnegie [an American industrialist from the 1800s] He donated an amount equivalent to about $11 billion in today’s value, and the fact that he kept some of it shows just how wealthy he was.”
Craig continued: “I don’t want to leave a lot of money to the next generation. I find inheritance a very unpleasant thing. My philosophy is to get rid of it or donate it before I die.”
While Craig’s exact net worth has not been confirmed as of this writing, the actor reportedly received $17 million for Skyfall, including box office bonuses, and then a reported $25 million for his starring role in the upcoming fifth Bond film, No Time to Die, which will be Craig’s final Bond movie.
Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz married in 2011. Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Craig was also paid handsomely for other high-profile movies such as Cowboys & Aliens, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and Dream House, the latter of which saw him co-star with his wife, Rachel Weisz. Weisz has also had a successful career as an actress herself, appearing in films such as The Mummy, The Mummy 2, The Favourite, and most recently Black Widow. She also won an Academy Award in 2006 for The Constant Gardener.
Craig and Weisz have one daughter together, and each has a child with a former partner. Craig and Weisz are notoriously private people, something the Bond actor touched on in his interview with Candice.
“It’s not something I should complain about, as I’ve received great benefits from being myself, but privacy is a very important part of my life and being a celebrity actually makes me feel insecure,” Craig said. “There are aspects of my life that I choose not to share or talk about. I believe people’s private lives are private, and that’s all.”