Related
Why didn’tGeorge Lazenbymake any furtherJames Bondfilms afterOn Her Majesty ’s Secret Service ? It was a landmark moment for theJames Bondfranchise when Sean Connery departed the use he had made his own . For many , Connery capsulize 007 and rest the authoritative version of the suave British spy to this day , with no successor ever living up to the original . Classics such asDr . No , From Russia With LoveandGoldfingercemented Connery ’s place in cinematic account , but even he could n’t bring the part forever , and the histrion soon start to tire of his alter ego as the 1960s quarter to a close .
The task of replacing Sean Connery as Bond was a daunting one , and the role eventually fell to an Australian exemplar with minimum previous acting experience by the name of George Lazenby . James Bond ’s producer first discover Lazenby in a chocolate commercial , and invited him to audition for 007 . So bang-up was the young valet de chambre , he prepared by see Connery ’s own barber and wear a suit that the Scotch worker had ordered but never blame up . Lazenby made his debut inOn Her Majesty ’s Secret Service , but his carrying into action ( and the film itself ) attracted a spiky response and the Australian would never come along as Bond again .
Related : Dr. No Was n’t An Origin Story ( & James Bond Was Better For It )
It ’s tempting to assume that the negative chemical reaction and oecumenical feeling that Lazenby was subscript to Connery forthwith led to his short career as MI6 ’s fine , but this was n’t the case . Despite the poor appraisal of Lazenby ’s performance , theBondteam actually wanted their new manto stay on on , but he declined the offering and opened the door for Connery to briefly come back , before Roger Moore was eventually opt as a more permanent substitution . It ’s curious that an inexperient histrion would turn down the chance to bear on in the major role ofJames Bond , especially since Lazenby ’s decision to go out was not made due to the big press , but because of bad advice .
In the 2017 documentaryBecoming Bond , Lazenby describes both his entry into the world of 007 and his reasons for departing . Lazenby arrogate he was offered a contract for 6 moreJames Bondadventures , but had been advised by his broker , Ronan O’Rahilly , to release the deal down . O’Rahilly convinced Lazenby that theJames Bondfranchise did n’t harmonize with the progressively far-flung hippy refinement of the late 1960s and 1970s , and action Hero such as Bond would soon be seen as outdated relic . Lazenby also feel that he could violate into the spaghetti westerly genre in aClint Eastwood - esque mode , but was blacklisted from the industry after turning down the Bond contract bridge . His report was tarnished further by reports of being hard on - set , and moving-picture show roles proved far harder to get along by than Lazenby and his direction had anticipated .
Hindsight has forced both Lazenby and his critic to alter their perspective . The actor freely admits that he was badly apprize and should ’ve taken the offering to continue as James Bond , but maintains that the daub on his reputation were n’t totally deserved , and were more the result of endeavor to dwell up to his hotshot billing than straight-out arrogance . Also interesting is that several sources claim Lazenby began studying dramatic event at Durham University after appearing inOn Her Majesty ’s Secret Service , demonstrating a desire to hone his young craft .
For the audience ’s part , modern sentiment now witness Lazenby ’s soleJames Bondperformance as a far better flex that many gave him course credit for at the time , whileSean Connery ’s paying back inDiamonds Are Foreveris conversely consider to have been a motion-picture show too far for the original 007 . Despite this drastic change of public thought , Lazenby ’s film career vanished as promptly as it begin , with Bond both cook and breaking the aspiring actor . Regardless , the Australian guard a particular place inJames Bondhistory , and it ’s fascinating to think where the dealership would be today if George Lazenby had made those further 6 motion-picture show .
More : Judi Dench Has Been In More 007 Movies Than Any James Bond Actor
