After all these years, George Lazenby is still the only actor to do only one James Bond movie, that being "On Her Majesty's Secret Service." While not as respected as Sean Connery, he still has his share of fans who gave him a standing ovation when he appeared at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. The evening's moderator Stephen Rubin proclaimed George was a "terrific James Bond," and if he had to do just one Bond movie, he picked the right one.
After five movies, Sean Connery quit playing James Bond as he had grown tired of "impossibly long schedules." Lazenby was not the first choice to replace Connery as he had no real acting experience other than doing commercials. George claimed he got considered for Bond when Cubby Broccoli spotted him at a haberdashery getting a Sean Connery-like haircut.
Directing this "Secret Service" was Peter Hunt who got the job as a Christmas present from the Broccoli family. Lazenby described him as "tough," and that he got his way most of the time. George also lied to Peter about being an actor, and when he later told him that he wasn't, Peter went crazy and fell down on the floor laughing. Once he composed himself, he told Lazenby:
"Stick to your story. I'll make you the next James Bond!"
The two of them however had a falling out on day one of shooting, and Lazenby claimed that Hunt didn't speak to him again for nine months. According to Stephen, Peter's challenge in getting a performance out of George was to "piss him off." Stephen also remarked how tough the last scene must have been for George as it's the most emotional in the Bond series. Lazenby said he did one take with tears, and that Diana Rigg bit him to get the desired emotion in another (which he said he didn't need).
One thing's for certain, Lazenby work in the action sequences was nothing short of excellent. On top of holding several black belts in martial arts, he credited a lot of his toughness from living in Australia where you "smack your mate." Sounding almost Russell Crowe-ish about his birthplace, George said he could take care of himself once he got the first hit in, and that back then he was "too stupid to be afraid."
Regarding his fellow cast mates, George said Diana Rigg thought he was a "complete idiot," and that she got pissed at him after he beat her in a game of chess. She also didn't want him "mucking around" with other girls during filming, a promise George admitted he was unable to keep. He was discovered having a "tryst" with a receptionist. When asked if she was memorable, Lazenby replied:
"She was!"
Telly Savalas played Bond's arch nemesis Blofeld in the movie, and Lazenby described him as a "great guy who loved to gamble." When Lazenby got a raise from $100 to $1000 a week during shooting, Savalas saw his money and asked:
"Hey, do you play poker?"
Lazenby recollected that Telly used to bet everything he had, including his house.
Even if George Lazenby is still considered the least of the actors who played James Bond, it certainly didn't seem to be the case considering the standing ovation he got upon entering the theater. He gave us a James Bond at his most relaxed, and that makes his interpretation of the role the most unique in the long running series.
Note: This was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Join the Yahoo! Contributor Network to start publishing your own articles.
1 comment