Daniel Craig in Quantum of Solace Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

Directed by Marc Forster (The Kite Runner, Finding Neverland and Monster's Ball), Quantum of Solace is taken from a short story in Ian Fleming's compendium For Your Eyes Only and is described by producer Michael G. Wilson as "uncharacteristic of most of Fleming's work." The short story that the film's title refers to is a character study that does not involve "any plots or anything with spies... but references what happens to Bond and what happens in this film," Wilson stated in a press conference at Pinewood Studios in London. Quantum of Solace is "not a revenge movie but is a follow-on from Casino Royale and has lots of action but also deals with the inner turmoil that Bond is facing," Wilson added. Quantum breaks with tradition in that, while most Bond movies have paid homage to others in the series, this film is the first true sequel to a previous installment. Forster says, however, "I don't see this necessarily as a sequel because it has within it a story that is self-contained."

Part of the attraction for Forster, who claims he had always been a fan of action films, was the opportunity to work with Craig: "Daniel Craig took the franchise in a different direction and he is such a superb actor that I thought there is the possibility to explore something [interesting] with him." Amalric concurs that Craig's performance brings a level of depth to the character that may never have been fully realized in lesser hands: "With Daniel Craig, you feel this guy is really completely involved in the feelings of Bond. I mean, there's almost a broken heart in this film. There is the fantasy, of course, of a James Bond film, but there is something that is very, very realistic in the feelings. The James Bond girls are not girls that you just smack and then you kiss and you make love to through the night and then move onto to the next one. It's not that anymore. It's completely different. So I think it's why Marc [Forster] was approached. We have a lot of stunts. I practice stunts every day. I just love that. I have a big fight sequence of course, with fire and everything. But there are also scenes that have to do with very intimate feelings."

Forster claims that from the outset the script for Quantum wasn't set in stone but rather was developed together with the producers. And it appears that the screenplay continues to evolve, even during production: "Every day there is a sort of 'work in progress' spirit on this set," Amalric echoes. "There's a new writer that has arrived. We have new lines and it's changed." In helping devise the script and its shooting, Forster "has brought a lot of humanity to the characters and makes a very intriguing story to go with the action", notes Wilson. And that humanity, agrees Amalric, is explored during rehearsal and on set: "With Marc, with the writers, with Daniel, with Olga, we rehearse before. Something that [Forster] loves to do, for example, is to do two shots in a row without stopping. The camera continues to roll. So that he just grabs things from us. He's not behind the video [monitor]. He really looks at actors." When pressed about the scope for improvisation on the set, Amalric carefully notes that "improvisation is a big word" but he does concede that Forster leads his actors and shows how their characters develop as opposed to sticking very closely to the script: "Oh yes. There's no storyboard or things like that. So things can change [during] rehearsals or we bring things."

But Amalric, one of France's most sought-after actors, clearly thrives on the lack of certainty when on a movie set. There is a need, he believes, to be afraid while acting: "It's scary to be an actor. You have to be afraid. If you're not afraid, there's no pleasure. I'm always afraid." When pushed to elaborate on what he fears when acting, he replies without hesitation: "Try to act just one day. You will see. You'll understand. It's frightening. And a James Bond film there's a crew of four hundred people. It's not my language. Lines change all the time... And I'm afraid that, I don't know... that maybe my brain will not be connected to my tongue. And that it will just stop and the impostor of me being an actor [will be exposed]. Because I have never been to [drama] school. I never learned to be an actor. Everybody will discover it and it will just stop. No words. I will be not able to move a line or to do anything."