What it takes to be James Bond: how Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig got in shape for the films

The search for the next James Bond has begun, and while A-listers Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Henry Cavill and Regé-Jean Page are rumoured contenders, 007's identity might as well be a state secret.

But what does it take to be Bond? Getting a license to kill is no easy feat – Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig can attest to that. While Roger Moore admits to a more lax regimen, his successors accepted their mission with help from conditioning coach and former Royal Marine, Simon Waterson.

Known as 'Bond's personal trainer' since 1999, Simon has been upping the ante over the years with gruelling workouts and specially tailored diets for the stars. Here's how our favourite actors transformed into the legendary superspy.

Pierce Brosnan

Speaking to Esquire in 2021, trainer Simon explained that when he first signed on with the James Bond franchise, there was "no really big aesthetic brief" for Pierce Brosnan, noting "We weren't in an era of Marvel superhero physiques."

Brought in to help the actor prepare for The World Is Not Enough (1999), Simon's focus was on "generic fitness" above all else.

In a 2003 interview with The Sun, he recalled: "Pierce liked to do a variety of things. He's not necessarily a big gym guy even though he knows it's important. We played tennis and golf, went mountain biking, walking and jogging. I was almost not the fitness expert with him, more like his buddy fitness entertainer."

Simon added: "I was in charge of everything that involved sport. If he wanted to play golf, I would fly to the location two days ahead and organise where to play.

"Playing tennis was quite difficult. We played tennis in Spain and the whole court was literally surrounded by photographers. And helicopters were flying above us filming the whole thing. So you imagine, I hadn't played for a long time, it was really nerve wracking."

For Simon, it was in 2005 – when Daniel Craig signed on as James Bond – that the training process became more targeted and intense.

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Daniel Craig

"Daniel always had a clear vision of what he wanted and how to evolve the character physically and mentally," Simon told GQ. During the star's 15 years on the franchise, the duo would work together, tailoring Daniel's workouts and diet to match the physical demands of each film.

"It's about breaking down the script, seeing what he has to do: whether that's sprinting up stairs, over balustrades, rolling, getting up and down off the ground very quickly, fight choreography. Then, in the room, I try to condition those sequences in the workout," Simon explained.

Breaking down the different stages of training for The Gentleman's Journal, Simon noted that for Casino Royale, the focus was on powerlifting and compound exercises like "mountain climber press-ups and own-weight body dips".

Meanwhile, Quantum of Solace was about cardiovascular and agility-based work that could keep Daniel moving at a fast pace. "We stuck with the same things, but messed with weights, reps and tempos," explained Simon. "So some circuit-based training, but split-routine. So we'd split down into back and biceps, sprinkling in cardio in between that."

When it came to Skyfall, the emphasis was on up-and-down off-the-ground exercises like "a deadlift into a press-up into a standing up and then back into a deadlift".

Spectre was one of the most physically demanding films in terms of stunts as James was supposed to be at the height of his powers, so Daniel's training was switched up to incorporate goblet squats on a BOSU Balance Trainer, as well as roll-outs and planks.

Concluding with his final film in the franchise, No Time to Die saw Daniel using double heavy bags while working on lateral movements, horizontal movements and box steps to strengthen his glutes.

As for Daniel's diet, Simon was adamant that nothing should be cut out altogether. "There's no crazy diets, nothing is eliminated," he revealed to 007.com. "We're looking for maximum amount of energy, good hydration and a constant flow of eating throughout the day. During shooting Daniel has six meals a day."

Variety was also a key component in Daniel's diet, with The Times reporting that the star would follow a plant-based diet on Mondays, be pescatarian on Tuesdays, eat white meat on Wednesdays and vegetarian on Thursdays, before having red meat on Fridays.

Asked about his training experiences in an interview with RSNG, Daniel himself explained that being fit and healthy is a non-negotiable when it comes to Bond.

"I had strangely developed this sex symbol status, for a start and it wasn't something I was going for at all," he said. "I had to get fit to be able to do stunts. When Bond takes his shirt off, it should look like he could kill someone, not that he's been out in the pub for the last two months!

"For example, in my preparation for Casino Royale, I bulked up quickly, to make Bond look like he's just dropped out of the army. So that meant that I got myself a personal trainer and that in turn, involved lifting a lot of weights, and a lot of high protein diets.

"But for the next movie after that Quantum of Solace, the emphasis was on fitness. I had an awful lot of physical activity to do, and I had to get myself fit in a more cardiovascular way. Each movie has had a different ambition and look, and I have to fit that too."