Published Wednesday, 03 October 2012
Fans and critics alike were upset when producers announced 007 would be swapping his signature martinis for lager, claiming a sacred tradition had been broken.
However, Craig insists the latest blockbuster could not have been made without the funds generated by the marketing deal with the Dutch brand.
He tells Vanity Fair magazine: "A movie like this costs $118m to make - it's the nature of it, the size of the movie. And it costs another $200m to sell it. So the $200m has to come from somewhere.
"Product placement, whichever way you look at it, whether you like it or you think it's disgusting or whatever, it's what it is. Heineken gave us a ton of money for there to be Heineken in a shot in a bar... Without them, the movie couldn't get sold."
Craig insists the superspy doesn't discriminate when it comes to booze: "He likes a lot of drinks - Heineken, Champagne. It's all in there."