As franchises go, James Bond hasn't always been the friendliest to its female characters -- who usually exist to be bedded by the hero, then beheaded (or otherwise snuffed) by the villain, with very little character development in between.

But Daniel Craig, star of "SPECTRE," wants to make it clear: he's not here for 007's sexist shenanigans, even when his character indulges in them.

In an interview with Esquire UK, Craig opened up about the challenges of taking on the iconic character, and how Bond can catch up to more modern sensibilities when it comes to gender equality.

"Hopefully my Bond is not as sexist and misogynistic as [earlier incarnations]. The world has changed. I am certainly not that person," Craig said. "But he is, and so what does that mean? It means you cast great actresses and make the parts as good as you can for the women in the movies."

Not only that, but the actor had some surprising insights from inside the head of his character, including the truth that Bond is, in some ways, a pretty pathetic figure.

"He’s very f---ing lonely," Craig said. "There’s a great sadness. He’s f---ing these beautiful women but then they leave and it’s… sad. And as a man gets older it’s not a good look. It might be a nice fantasy – that’s debatable – but the reality, after a couple of months…"

That might be why, for his part, Daniel Craig wouldn't actually want to party with James Bond -- and he definitely wouldn't want to after-party with him.

"I don’t know if I’d like to spend too much time with him," he said of 007. "Maybe an evening but it would have to be early doors. What goes on after hours, I’m not so sure about. But I don’t judge him. It’s not the job of an actor to judge your character."