Follow us on Google News
Get the latest updates directly in your Google News feed
Playing the iconic James Bond comes with a load of perks for the actor portraying the character. The sixty-year franchise has a global fanbase and is the fifth highest-grossing film franchise of all time. The legendary franchise is known to turn things around for the actors portraying the role.
Actors like Sean Connery and Daniel Craig have become global stars because of the franchise. Actor George Lazenby, who played the character, revealed that portraying the character gave him a lot of attention from women.
Also read:“I was always much more ordinary”: Despite Playing Batman’s Trusted Butler, Michael Caine Drew the Line at Playing James Bond for a Strange Reason
George Lazenby As James Bond
Six actors have played James Bond to date and they all have been propelled to global stardom due to their appearance in the franchise. ActorSean Connerywas the first actor to portray the role on film. Starting with 1962’sDr. No,the actor portrayed the role six times, with his last official Eon Productions film beingDiamonds Are Forever. His final appearance in the series was inNever Say Never Again.
Connery’s first replacement was actor George Lazenby, who played the role of Agent 007 in the filmOn Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Connery had reportedly grown tired of the role and wanted to depart from the franchise. Lazenby was a relatively unknown Australian model who was discovered by producer Albert R. Broccoli when they ran into each other at a barbershop.
Also read:Not Sean Connery, James Bond Author Ian Fleming Considered Another Actor to be the Perfect 007 Agent Who Refused the Role
After meeting Lazenby, Broccoli asked him to audition for the role of 007 and was subjected to multiple tests to examine his ability. It was Laznby’s first film role as he had only acted in commercials until then. Lazenby reportedly got the role after he accidentally punched a stuntman during the audition process. Director Peter R. Hunt defended his decision to cast Lazenby in an interview withRetrovision Magazine,
“Oh yes, he was very good. And I had a big job directing him, even though he seemed to think he wasn’t directed, and it was quite a job to make him Bond. But he took it and did it, and that’s the important thing. I’m not questioning how difficult it was, because that’s part of the director’s job… It was a difficult job, but the answer for me was that it worked, and it worked for the producers as well.”
George Lazenby is often considered to be one of the weakest Bonds in the franchise. He only starred in one film and immediately decided to exit the franchise after claiming that his ideas and suggestions were not being taken. Sean Connery was approached again to return to the franchise forDiamonds Are Foreverand was reportedly paid a £1.25 million fee to return.
Also read:“I still think it’s a great film”: Not Sean Connery, Daniel Craig Took Inspiration from This $161M James Bond Movie for Casino Royale
George Lazenby Confessed That He Was A Womanizer
While actor George Lazenby served as James Bond in only one film, he reportedly made the most of it. Talking about his experience as Bond and the fame he received after, Lazenby revealed that he was a womanizer and that he would attract a lot of attention from females. He said in an interview on the documentaryEverything or Nothing: The Untold Story of James Bond(via Daily Express),
“Suddenly I was James Bond and you can imagine what that did to me. I don’t want to brag but I had at least one girl a day. There was a tent on set where the stuntmen used to keep the mattresses they fell on in fight scenes. It was a good place to take a chick if you were in a hurry.”
The actor has also reportedly been accused of being sexist and homophobic when he told many stories of his sexual escapades duringThe Music of James Bondevent that occurred in 2022. Lazenby was reportedly jeered off-stage due to his stories, with a member saying (via6PR Perth),
“He spent all of the interview just talking basically about his sexual conquests, he was homophobic, he swore, he certainly wasn’t talking about his Bond movies, he downplayed the Queen, a day after she died.”
TheJames Bondactor later apologized for his remarks.
Also read:“That’s somebody else’s gig”: Clint Eastwood Was the Bigger Man When He Was Offered to Take Away Sean Connery’s James Bond Role
Source:Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of James Bond(via Daily Express),6PR Perth,Retrovision Magazine
Nishanth A
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2417
Nishanth A is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on TV shows with over 2,000 articles published. He has been an entertainment journalist for the past two years and a scriptwriter at various corporations before that, working on educational content. With a Communications, English Literature, and Psychology triple major, Nishanth usually covers news and analyses on Star Trek, particularly Strange New Worlds and The Next Generation; Doctor Who, the DCU, and more.A Nolan fan, Nishanth spends his time exploring the filmographies of various directors with an auteurial style or can be found making short movies of his own. He has also contributed as a feature writer for Film Companion, focusing on the South division.
