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Daniel Craig is yet another star of the stage to test positive for COVID-19.
Craig, 54, fresh off his final James Bond film No Time to Die, has been starring in Macbeth on Broadway opposite Ruth Negga. However, Saturday’s performances have been canceled due to the actor contracting the coronavirus.
In a statement from the production’s official Twitter account, Craig’s positive result and the subsequent cancelations of the play were revealed less than two hours before its Saturday matinee performance.
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“Today’s matinee and evening performance of MACBETH are cancelled due to Daniel Craig just testing positive for COVID this afternoon,” the statement read. “We apologize for the inconvenience this causes ticket holders, but the safety of our audiences, the cast and crew remains our top priority. All tickets for the cancelled performance will be refunded at the original point of purchase.”
PERFORMANCE UPDATE FOR SATURDAY, APRIL 2
Today’s matinee and evening performance of MACBETH are cancelled due to Daniel Craig just testing positive for COVID this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/hluAIqGAQW— Macbeth on Broadway (@macbethbway) April 2, 2022
The Longacre Theatre play is directed by Sam Gold, who also directed Craig in Othello off-Broadway, and features original music by Gaelynn Lea.
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The play has a “strictly limited engagement” of only 15 weeks, starting with preview performances on March 29 and an official opening to the public on April 28, running through July 10.
The English actor, known for his acting chops in blockbuster movies like Knives Out and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, has starred in two previous Broadway plays — the 2009 production of A Steady Rain and a 2013 revival of Betrayal.
Macbeth is his first role since ending his time as Bond, whom he has portrayed across five movies over 14 years. In a documentary on Apple TV+, Craig gave a speech commemorating the end of his time in the franchise.
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“A lot of people here worked on five pictures with me,” Craig said, holding back tears. “I know there are a lot of things said about what I think of these films, but I’ve loved every single second of these movies. And especially this one because I’ve got up every morning, and I’ve had the chance to work with you guys. And that has been one of the greatest honors of my life.”
In a 2020 appearance on the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the actor talked about why No Time to Die was his last time as the secret agent. “I needed a break, I’ll freely admit it, I just needed to get my head away from it for a while,” Craig shared. “Once I had, and we started talking about storylines and things we could do and where we could take it, I was like, ‘I’m in, let’s do one more and try to the finish the story.’ “
