HONG KONG (AP) — From one Bond to another: job well done.

Roger Moore told reporters Thursday that Daniel Craig was “marvelous” as James Bond because he
brought a fresh dimension to the character.

The 81-year-old actor, who starred in seven Bond films in the 1970s and the
1980s, said Craig’s performances in Steven Spielberg’s 2005 political
thriller “Munich” and “Sylvia” in 2003, in which he plays the poet Ted Hughes, helped
shape a new Bond.

“All of those parts were very, very different to one’s conception of Bond …
I thought he was absolutely marvelous,” Moore said of Craig’s acting in “Casino Royale.”

Fans have criticized the casting of Craig, questioning whether a
stage-trained actor with little action experience pull off the role of Bond.

Moore, speaking at an event in Hong Kong to promote his autobiography “My
Word Is My Bond,” said he had yet to see Craig’s latest turn as the British spy
in “Quantum of Solace.”

Moore said he met Craig for the first time at a recent celebration for Bond
creator Ian Fleming in London and found him a “charming guy.”

Related: Men Who Could Have Been Bond

Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.