﻿Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz were friends for decades before a spark suddenly ignited on set.
After experiencing public breakups in the past, they decided to keep their whirlwind romance a
secret. Despite that, the couple has shared some insight into their relationship over the years.
From Rachel and Daniel's heart-wrenching loss to Daniel’s farewell to his iconic role as 007,
and some shocking revelations along the way. The Bond and The Mummy alums had a friendship
long before they started dating. In fact, they met in college in 1994 and
even performed in a play together! Of course, since neither of them was famous at the time,
this first meeting went unnoticed. However, a historical consultant on the play told The
Telegraph that the plot was romantic, and there were some intimate scenes and tasteful nudity.
Each of them went on to develop a successful acting career, and both Craig and Weisz found
other partners. Weisz began dating film director Darren Aronofsky in
2001. The couple got engaged in 2005, and a year later, their son Henry was born.
Despite their engagement, Rachel and Darren never married. After almost ten years together,
the actress and director announced that they had been living apart for several months.
They eventually confirmed their split in 2010. As for Craig, he's had his fair share of celebrity
romances. In 1992, he married Scottish actress Fiona Loudon, and they welcomed a daughter, Ella,
that same year. Unfortunately, Craig and Fiona got divorced just two years after tying the knot.
Daniel went on to date German actress Heike Makatsch.
The actors dated for seven years before splitting on good terms. Sometime later,
Daniel confessed that filming would keep them apart for very long periods of time and that
he thought A LOT of breakups were caused by film sets. He added, "It's bloody lonely."
In 2010, Weisz and Craig starred in the film, 'Dream House,' and it didn't take long for
sparks to start flying between the pair. They started seeing each other in secret,
hoping to keep their budding romance as private as possible. Even the people working with
them didn't know they were dating! One of their co-stars, Rachel Fox,
later talked about her experience working with the duo. "They play husband and wife, so anytime that
the camera was rolling, you felt that spark," the actress told Us Weekly in 2011, "I didn't
notice off-screen that anything was going on. They did a good job of keeping it secret!"
The lovebirds didn't spark any romance rumors until the Christmas holiday when they spent
time together in the English countryside. "They walked through the street like a married couple
who had been together for ages — very much in love, very cozy and cute," an eyewitness shared.
Thankfully, fans didn't need to wait long to see the couple taking things a step further!
In June 2011, six months after the initial rumors began, the actors got married during
a secret ceremony in New York. It was so intimate that only four people attended:
Rachel's son, Henry, Daniel's daughter, Ella, and two family members who served as witnesses.
Craig has since opened up about why they wanted their wedding to be so low-key.
The actor told GQ, "We did it for private reasons because we didn't want it fucked up because that
would be sharing a secret. And the whole point is that it was a secret." The James Bond star also
said that they had a lot of people to thank for being able to have such an intimate ceremony.
The following year, the couple made their first red carpet appearance together at the
premiere of the film 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' in Madrid, Spain.
They looked as cute and happy as ever! That same year, Rachel reflected on their
marriage in an interview with Marie Claire. When asked if it was love at first sight,
she replied that it wasn't, adding, "We'd been friends for ages." The Oscar winner
also opened up about what it was like to date another actor. "As far as downsides go,
I don't think fame is a big one. It's something we deal with together."
Both actors have spoken further about their marriage and the need for privacy in interviews.
In a 2015 interview, Craig reiterated that his wife has helped keep their lives as normal as
possible, despite their celebrity status. The actor confessed that he sometimes gets
overwhelmed when fans take pictures of him while he's out. "My wife is the best in the
world at all that; she'll just turn to them and go, 'No, thank you very much.' he explained.
When speaking with More magazine, Weisz also elaborated on why she likes to keep
her private life out of the spotlight, including the romantic part of it. "He's just too famous.
It would be a betrayal. You have to protect your marriage," she said. The actress shared that she
used to tell her friends everything when she was young but has learned to keep the more intimate
details to herself as she's gotten older. Although she doesn't open up about her
marriage often, Rachel is heartfelt every time she chooses to do so. "I never thought
I would get married," she admitted in 2018. She explained that getting hitched was never an
ambition of hers and that she could never relate to romantic comedies. "Then it just happened,
happily, at a more mature moment," the actress said before adding,
"I wear my ring with pride. I'm taken." Weisz has gushed over her blissful union
with Craig more than once, proving just how much their relationship changed her view on
marriage. The actress even revealed that she took on her husband's last
name and had all of her ID documents updated, officially making her Mrs. Rachel Craig.
"I'm very happy being married. Very, very happy. I love being
Mrs. Craig." She told the New York Times. Rachel has also shared how the pair spend
their time together, and it seems like the ultimate domestic life. They "talk
about films" and plays that they love and enjoy outings to the theater. Both she and Daniel love
cooking together too, and he's very good at it. But the joy didn't stop there! In April 2018,
the actress announced she and Craig were expecting a baby. "I'll be showing soon," she said.
"Daniel and I are so happy. We're going to have a little human. We can't wait to
meet him or her. It's all such a mystery." Five months later, the couple welcomed their
daughter. The actors have maintained their privacy tradition and haven't
shared her name or any pictures of her. Weisz opened up about maternity in an interview
with the Mirror. In it, she stated, "My son was a miracle, and it was an incredible experience.
But doing it again now that I'm older is very deep and very precious. I am very lucky."
The star also revealed that she knew she and Craig wouldn't have any more children. "The preciousness
of a new life and family means so much more now. I'm more mature and older," she explained.
Although Rachel has maintained a strict level of privacy around her personal life, in May 2023,
she made a shocking confession. While speaking about the new series, 'Dead Ringers' - a remake
of the 1988 horror film -, Weisz admitted that she suffered a devastating miscarriage.
The actress revealed her painful experience while discussing the negative reaction to
the childbirth scenes and child loss in the show. "Women had miscarriages, I've had a miscarriage,
so you suddenly see blood coming out of your body, and these are just all part of a female
experience of being alive." She said. Rachel shared that she was "surprised" by
the negative response. She explained that she was "just telling this story about
the female experience," and none of what they depicted on the show seemed to have
been "heightened or overdramatized." The actress then went on to say that
she thinks the negative reaction from the audience is because, as a society,
"We're not used to seeing any of those things being represented cinematically or fictionally."
Weisz didn't go into further detail about when her miscarriage occurred. Instead, she expressed
her hopes that the show's representation of child loss could perhaps be "breaking some new ground."
Although the couple doesn't divulge much information about their personal lives,
Daniel shared one key factor in how he raises his children. None
of them will be receiving any inheritance. The actor received 139 million Australian dollars
to appear in the Netflix movie 'Knives Out.' Not to mention the millions he's earned for his
work in the James Bond franchise. However, his kids won't be seeing a dime of it.
"I don't want to leave great sums to the next generation. I think inheritance is
quite distasteful. My philosophy is to get rid of it or give it away before you go."
Following Craig's final performance as James Bond in 2021, Weisz admitted that she was glad
that his time as Agent 007 was over. The actor began his Bond journey in 2006 and
claimed the role of the savvy British spy in five films over the course of fifteen years.
Rachel was part of his life for three of the Bond films and opened up about
the relief she felt now that his time as the secret agent is over.
The actress was well aware of the high-intensity and high-risk aspects of her husband's role,
especially since Craig opted to do all of his own stunts.
"It was very dangerous," she recalled. "I mean, he got injured a lot because
he did all his own stunts." Now that he is officially done with the films, she said: "So,
the danger quotient has definitely gone down… It is a much less stressful time for him."
After over a decade together, Rachel and Daniel are blissfully happy together.
Rather than put their personal lives on display, they've chosen to prioritize their privacy.
Perhaps that's one of the reasons their marriage has thrived all these years. We're so glad these
two got their second chance at love, and now they get to live out their happily ever after.