In 1968, when George Lazenby, now 84, was recruited to play James Bond On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, he had some very big shoes to fill.
Unfortunately, the shoes – earlier worn by the legendary Sean Connery – didn’t properly fit the actor who followed some bad advice.
Since Dr. No premiered in 1963, the James Bond franchise exploded in popularity, with multiple films spanning five decades and seven actors bringing the fictional character to life.
The late Sean Connery – whose profile became synonymous with the secret service agent – was the first to play the suave and sexy Bond in five films from 1962 to 1967, and then he grew tired of it.
Speaking with Playboy in 1965 (through Time), Connery said he was “fed up to here with the whole Bond bit.” He added that being identified by fans as the character was “a bit of a bore.”
When he ended his tenure, the film’s creators had a massive task at hand: they had to find a new actor to live up to the hype of the iconic character.
Charm, chocolate and Broccoli
In 1968, 29-year-old George Lazenby was an unknown actor in Australia when he was awarded his breakthrough role in the sixth installment of the epic James Bond saga.
And all it took was a lot of charm, some chocolate and a Broccoli.
The model, who was born in 1939, was the star of a series of commercials for Fry’s Chocolate Cream, which attracted the attention of producer Albert R. Broccoli, who through his career produced many James Bond films, including 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
According to IMDB, Lazenby went to extreme lengths to get the role that Connery had left behind.
This included spending his last penny “on acquiring a tailor-made suit from Sean Connery’s tailor, which was originally made for Connery, along with purchasing a very Bondish-looking Rolex watch.”
He then went to the production office and made his bid.
“I leaned against the door and said, ‘I heard you’re looking for James Bond.’ [The casting director] asked, ‘Who are you?’ And I replied, ‘Bond, James Bond,’” Lazenby recalls of his first meeting with the team.
And though the man only had experience as a model and promoting Fry’s Chocolate, he was given an opportunity to audition and the producers – Harry Saltzman and Broccoli – had found their next James Bond.
Poor reviews
When On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was released in 1969, the reviews were scathing and the comparisons to Connery were exhausting.
Gene Siskel, former critic with the Chicago Tribune, noted that Lazenby “doesn’t fill Sean Connery’s shoes, Aston-Martin, or stretch pants. The new 007 is more boyish and consequently less of a man. He doesn’t order food with the same verve, and generally lacks the self-satisfied smirk that Connery kept with him and transmitted to his audience.”
Referring to the poor reviews, the actor said “I didn’t read them, so I didn’t get upset,” he told the Daily Mail.
And the real-life playboy had no idea how bad the reviews were until he bumped into a critic at a nightclub. “…one of the top reporters at the time said to me, ‘I owe you an apology for writing a bad piece about you, but Broccoli and Saltzman told me it was open season on you.’”
It was “open season,” he clarifies, “because I still hadn’t signed the contract to do more films it was embarrassing for them.”
‘Bond was over’
Despite the negative reviews, Lazenby was offered $1 million and a contract that would make him James Bond over six more films.
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