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We still don\u2019t know who will be the next James Bond<\/a> following the release of Daniel Craig\u2019s last film as the suave super spy, No Time to Die<\/a>, but that doesn\u2019t mean we can\u2019t reminisce about his previous incarnations \u2013 and what makes the character so great after all these years.<\/p>\n That\u2019s exactly what writer Mark Edlitz\u2019s book The Many Lives of James Bond: How the Creators of 007 Have Decoded the Superspy<\/a>\u00a0is all about.<\/p>\n Not only does it celebrate the MI5 agent, but it also features plenty of insight and interviews with the actors who brought him to life, including Roger Moore, who played the spy in seven of Bond\u2019s big-screen adventures.<\/p>\n Read on for an extract from the book \u2013 exclusive to RadioTimes.com<\/a> \u2013 which features Edlitz\u2019s recollection of an encounter with Moore, as well as a Q&A with the actor himself.<\/p> Talking to Roger Moore when he\u2019s wearing a tuxedo is like trying to hold a conversation with Leonard Nimoy when he\u2019s wearing Spock ears. Your rational mind knows you\u2019re talking with an actor but your fan instinct can almost trick you into thinking that you\u2019re talking to the real James Bond.<\/em><\/p>\n Moore and I met at a gala dinner where he was invited to talk about his work for UNICEF, a charity that provides aid to needy children. Moore became a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF, and from 1991 until his death in 2017, he traveled the world meeting ill and impoverished children and raising money and awareness for the organization.<\/em><\/p>\n At the gala, diners listened politely as Moore spoke about his ties to the charity. However, I suspect that many of them, like me, were there less to see and admire Roger Moore the philanthropist than to rub shoulders with James Bond. After Moore\u2019s speech, the moderator opened the floor to questions. Moore responded to all of them knowledgeably and passionately, but it wasn\u2019t until I asked Moore about his work as the superspy that the gathering turn festive. Moore knew his audience wanted him to acknowledge his onscreen counterpart, and he did not disappoint.<\/em><\/p>\n Prompted by my question, Moore self-effacingly explained his version of how he was cast in the role that earned him international stardom. \u201cHarry Saltzman and Cubby Broccoli, the producers, and I used to gamble. They owed me a lot of money. They thought it would be cheaper to put me in a movie.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Moore talked about taking over the role of Bond from Connery. He said, \u201cPeople would ask, \u2018Aren\u2019t you nervous about taking over for Sean Connery?\u2019 And I\u2019d respond, \u2018No, not really. There have been four thousand actors who have played Hamlet, and this certainly ain\u2019t Hamlet.\u2019 There\u2019s not much to say in the role apart from, \u2018My name is Bond.\u2019\u201d It could be argued that Connery was so successful and beloved as Bond that only an actor of great confidence could assume the mantle. Moore\u2019s bravado and fearlessness were not unlike Bond\u2019s. Furthermore, Roger Moore was suave, erudite, and witty\u2014words that have been used to describe James Bond himself.<\/em><\/p>\n Later on, Moore admitted to having a few trepidations in taking over the part that Connery seemed to define indelibly. \u201cI did get nervous when I was on my way to London for the first screening of Live and Let Die. I felt like I was in a delivery room<\/em> Moore\u2019s fear about following Connery, at least the one that he\u2019d admit to, manifested itself in a most unlikely way\u2014in Bond\u2019s drink of choice. Fearing that he could not order a \u201cmartini, shaken not stirred\u201d without a Scottish burr, Moore\u2019s Bond never orders his preferred beverage. \u201cI never ever said that in any of my Bond movies. But every waiter, every barman in the world knew that I wanted a martini shaken, not stirred.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Although there is deservedly much discussion about how suave and funny you were as Bond, you were also good at making him coldblooded and lethal. How did you approach those scenes?<\/strong><\/p>\n Well, if you read the internet blogs, they agree I was funny, but they\u2019re not so sure I was suave and certainly don\u2019t regard me as having been cold-blooded. There was one scene in For Your Eyes Only where I had to be rather cold-blooded in killing a villain. They say that scene changed the series tone for my films, but I wasn\u2019t comfortable with it, if truth be known. I was rather cold-blooded and mercenary on Fridays, though. That\u2019s the day I received my paychecks.<\/p>\n What do you think are the most significant ways the character of Bond has changed?<\/strong><\/p>\n He has had six different faces! Each Bond is right for that generation. I\u2019m sure my Bond wouldn\u2019t work today; just as Daniel Craig\u2019s 007 probably wouldn\u2019t have worked for 1970s audiences. The producers move and adapt with the times. They are very clever.<\/p>\n Over the course of your seven Bond films, you experimented with different approaches to the part, from the tongue-in-cheek to the more realistic. What is your favourite approach?<\/strong><\/p>\n I never really enjoyed the hard, gritty side of Bond. I much preferred being a lover and being a giggler.<\/p>\n Were there any moments in the Bond films that made you uncomfortable?<\/strong><\/p>\n As I say, my Bond was a lover and giggler. I didn\u2019t think he should hit a woman [as he does in The Man with the Golden Gun] nor kill a man in cold blood. The storyline called for it, I know, but I personally don\u2019t feel comfortable with those types of In the full interview, Moore provides an assessment of all other Bonds and elaborates on his approach to playing the secret agent. In other chapters of The Many Lives of James Bond, Mark Edlitz interviews key filmmakers and creators who reveal the inner workings of making a new Bond adventure.<\/p>\n The Many Lives of James Bond by Mark Edlitz is available from Amazon<\/a> and it includes interviews with Bond directors, screenwriters, novelists, lyricists, game designers, and actors who have played 007 in different media. The Many Lives of James Bond features the largest collection of interviews with actors who have played Bond.<\/strong><\/p>\n Visit our\u00a0Movies<\/a>\u00a0hub for more news and features, or find something to watch with our\u00a0TV Guide<\/a>.<\/strong><\/b><\/p><\/body><\/html>\n By Lidia Molina-Whyte Published: Friday, 14 January 2022 at 12:00 am We still don\u2019t know who will be the next James Bond following the release of Daniel Craig\u2019s last film as the suave super spy, No Time to Die, but that doesn\u2019t mean we can\u2019t reminisce about his previous incarnations \u2013 and what makes the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":9939,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/01\/read-an-exclusive-extract-from-the-many-lives-of-james-bond-featuring-roger-moore.jpg",620,413,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/01\/read-an-exclusive-extract-from-the-many-lives-of-james-bond-featuring-roger-moore-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/01\/read-an-exclusive-extract-from-the-many-lives-of-james-bond-featuring-roger-moore-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/01\/read-an-exclusive-extract-from-the-many-lives-of-james-bond-featuring-roger-moore.jpg",620,413,false],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/01\/read-an-exclusive-extract-from-the-many-lives-of-james-bond-featuring-roger-moore.jpg",620,413,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/01\/read-an-exclusive-extract-from-the-many-lives-of-james-bond-featuring-roger-moore.jpg",620,413,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/01\/read-an-exclusive-extract-from-the-many-lives-of-james-bond-featuring-roger-moore.jpg",620,413,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Lidia Molina-Whyte Published: Friday, 14 January 2022 at 12:00 am We still don\u2019t know who will be the next James Bond following the release of Daniel Craig\u2019s last film as the suave super spy, No Time to Die, but that doesn\u2019t mean we can\u2019t reminisce about his previous incarnations \u2013 and what makes the…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/9938"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9939"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9938"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9938"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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