Daniel Craig

London, July 20 (PTI): British secret agent 007 has been forced to arm himself with a new arsenal to match his love interest in the new Bond film Quantum of Solace.

In the amazing array of secret weapons, James Bond has now added a new one — stacked heels.

Some fans have often complained that Bond star Daniel Craig was blond, short and not up to playing Ian Fleming’s tall, dark and handsome hero.

Actress Gemma Arterton, the secret agent’s love interest in the new Bond movie, has told how producers had to give Craig a lift when the 22-year-old star put on her high heels.

Arterton, who is 5ft 7in, said: “Daniel is 5ft 10in but when they put me in heels, I was taller than him and it didn’t look good on screen.”

“Daniel had to wear shoes with a lift in them and stacked heels for a few scenes, but he took it very well,” Arterton was quoted as saying by Mail Online of Britain.

Craig, 40, has been sensitive about his height since he won his debut Bond role in Casino Royale in 2005.

He refused to comment on his height, quipping to one interviewer: “Let’s just say I am somewhere between 5ft and 6ft.”

Arterton, beat 1,500 other hopefuls to be chosen as the Bond girl, just six months after graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

The Bond star is not alone in having to resort to stacked heels. Other well-known figures who have used them include 5ft 10in Mick Jagger, whose girlfriend L’Wren Scott is 6ft 4in; French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who is 5ft 5in and whose wife Carla Bruni is 5ft 9in; and Tom Cruise, who is 2 inches shorter than his 5ft 9in wife Katie Holmes, the British tabloid said.