Daniel Craig says that Austin Powers “fucked” the James Bond series

In a 2012 interview with the Bond fansite MI6 that resurfaced this week, Craig says that the reason the most recent Bond era has been so serious is because when he joined the franchise in 2005, a certain dentally impaired secret agent parody had rendered Bond’s campy past irrelevant.

“We had to destroy the myth because [the Austin Powers movies] fucked us,” Craig said. “I am a huge Mike Myers fan, so don’t get me wrong, but he kind of fucked us, made it impossible to do the gags.”

He also kind of fucked his career with The Love Guru, but that’s beside the point. Fans of gimmicky antagonists shouldn’t give up hope, as in the same interview Craig points towards Skyfall’s Silva as a sign of the series’ return to over-the-top villainy. “If Blofeld turned up again, it wouldn’t be a bad thing,” Craig says, although we’ll see what happens when—and if—Austin Powers 4 comes out.