Naomie Harris: 'Daniel Craig deserves more respect as James Bond'

Actress Naomie Harris wishes critics would give Daniel Craig more credit for "reinventing" the role of James Bond.

The British beauty has starred alongside the 47-year-old in two 007 movies, including last year's (15) smash hit Spectre, and while it's believed the movie will be Daniel's last outing as the superspy, Naomie thinks it's disrespectful to be discussing his successor before a final decision has been made.

"I feel it's premature, because I feel as though Daniel doesn't get the sort of respect and admiration he deserves," she told Elle.com. "He completely reinvented that role of Bond, and he has made it the most successful Bond of all time. People are turning out in droves to see him as Bond.

"So I think we should celebrate the fact that we have an amazing Bond and no one knows whether Daniel's going to come back or not."

British actors Idris Elba, Tom Hiddleston and Damian Lewis have all been named as potential stars to take over the coveted job, but Naomie prefers to focus on her own role as Eve Moneypenny.

The 39-year-old became the first non-white actress to take on the character, but she insists making her mark on the history books is not what drew her to the part.

"I never thought about it like that," she explained. "I just thought about there being pressure for what people's expectations about what Moneypenny is like, who should play her, what kind characteristics she should have.

"The great thing about the way I was introduced in Skyfall is that you didn't know. The reveal wasn't until much later in the film, by which time I'd kind of got under people's skin and they'd accepted that character."

Her work in the franchise has opened even more doors for her in Hollywood, but it doesn't mean Naomie will sign for just any project.

"What I do is I just read the script and say, 'Am I affected by this role?'" she added. "'Is it something I haven't played before? Does it challenge me and excite me? Do I want to do it?' And on that basis, I say yes or no."