The actor was quoted in Britain's Time Out magazine as saying, "I'd rather break this glass and slash my wrists" than play 007 again in the near future.

Daniel's controversial comments sparked an outcry on social media, and he was also criticised by actress Ellen Pompeo, who tweeted, "This dude needs a reality check."

However, Naomie, who reprises her role as Eve Moneypenny opposite Daniel in new Bond film Spectre, has now stepped forward to defend him, insisting fans simply do not understand her co-star's dry sense of humour.

"Daniel lives and breathes Bond, it (his comments) was not as he intended it," she tells BBC News. "(His) sense of humour... doesn't come across particularly well in print...

"It's easy to take something that someone says in passing and blow it completely out of proportion. I think that's what's happened here, so I don't really believe those comments at all."

Naomie made her debut as Moneypenny in 2012's Skyfall, while the character has previously been played by stars including Lois Maxwell and Samantha Bond.

Spectre, Daniel's fourth outing as 007, is released in the U.K. on 26 October (15) and the U.S. on 6 November (15).