Sir Roger Moore 'would have been dead' from playing James Bond like Daniel Craig

Samuel001

Sir Roger Moore not only maintained the role over 12 years and seven movies, he says he remains as big a James Bond fan as anyone.

"I think Daniel Craig is a wonderful actor," the British star also well-known as television's original "Saint" tells Zap2it from his home in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. "When I read that he was going to do it right at the beginning, I thought, 'This is going to be interesting.' I had just seen him in [the Steven Spielberg-directed drama] 'Munich' and a couple of films before that, and I thought 'Casino Royale' was absolutely superb.

"He's a beautiful actor and a nice guy," Moore adds, "and his gymnastics are quite extraordinary. I would have been dead after the first movie." Craig returns as Bond next November in "Skyfall," four years after "Quantum of Solace," and the delay between 007 capers hasn't surprised Moore: "It was purely because of the [financial] upset with MGM and the rights."

Many Bond purists point to "The Spy Who Loved Me" (1977) as Moore's high mark in the part, and he confirms, "It was my favorite one to do. I had the best fun, and Lewis Gilbert (with whom Moore also made 'Moonraker') is just a dream director to work with. He'd come on the set and say, 'What are you going to say today, dear?' We just had laugh after laugh."

Syfy will show several of Moore's Bond efforts Friday, Nov. 25, as part of a two-day festival of the adventures. Quite some time after also making the series "Maverick" and "The Persuaders!," he returns to television as an emotionally reserved duke who welcomes young relatives to his castle in the Hallmark Channel movie "A Princess for Christmas" Saturday, Dec. 3.

"When you're doing a television series," Moore reasons, "you're doing a series of films, and you invariably have mostly the same crew. I certainly had the same hairdresser and the same makeup and wardrobe people, and the same camera crew, so I was surrounded by my friends. It was a great experience. I was very lucky."

Also one of UNICEF's most prominent ambassadors for the past 20 years -- guided into that role by his friend Audrey Hepburn -- Moore published the memoir "My Word Is My Bond" in 2008. He has another volume slated for next year, what he describes as "a giant coffee-table book with lots and lots of pictures" to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the 007 movie franchise.

Reflecting on his well-traveled life and times, the famously self-effacing Moore borrows the stance of another celebrity. "There was a wonderful jazz musician [Eubie Blake] who lived to 102, and he said, 'If I knew I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself.'"

http://blog.zap2it.com/pop2it/2011/11/sir-roger-moore-would-have-been-dead-from-playing-james-bond-like-daniel-craig.html

DaltonCraig007

Another fantastic Roger Moore interview !! Thank goodness for Sir Rog that he didn't mix up 'nice actor' and 'beautiful guy' as a description for Craig...

DarthDimi

Isn't Rog just a wonderful guy? :P That comment, about him being dead and all, is just hilarious.

Baltimore_007

Moore would of been dead playing Bond as Moore in A View To A Kill if he'd done his own stunts :-|

When was the last time Roger actually looked feasible in a fisticuffs situation, there wasn't many, only the Beirut brawl scene stands out for me, if you remember future instances such as the Sutton house bit or even fighting Chandler on the roof tops, or at the Pyramids with Bach, (oh my days), Moore didn't really appear as able as some would of liked and it all seemed a bit amateurish sometimes. , I realize Moore as 007 was not really the type of Bond for fighting bits but I remember on many an occasion watching and thinking 'please Roger, enough'. You're much better suited to the one liners and humor attempts than any rough stuff

77's The Spy Who Loved Me WAS Moore's favorite entry and I have it down as second or third of his seven appearances, could well be either this or FYEO

I don't have an issue with Moore as Bond, he did a very commendable job for the most part, it's only when it got to Octopussy territory and thereafter questions could be asked. But still a very fine actor.

HASEROT

i find it hard to dislike Moore... not that I do, or even did.. what a charming man he is - and it's good to see that his humor is still intact after all these years....

somewhere - I have no clue where it is, but I have the original cardboard standee to 'Octopussy'... i've trying my hardest to find it, so i can rightly display it in my man cave - alas, it has up and disappeared like the ark of the covenant :( ... oh how I would love to have it signed by Sir Rog - that would be an 11/10 right there lol.

Baltimore_007

But you'd rather have A View To A Kill one signed by Walken though..

That would be a 26/10 or something. :-|

NicNac

Moore would of been dead playing Bond as Moore in A View To A Kill if he'd done his own stunts :-|

When was the last time Roger actually looked feasible in a fisticuffs situation, there wasn't many, only the Beirut brawl scene stands out for me, if you remember future instances such as the Sutton house bit or even fighting Chandler on the roof tops, or at the Pyramids with Bach, (oh my days), Moore didn't really appear as able as some would of liked and it all seemed a bit amateurish sometimes. ,

Generally true, but his two train carraige fights (LALD and TSWLM) were quite good

CommanderRoss

Moore may not have been the best actor portraying Bond, he has been increadably nice to fans and the general audience. Here's a true Gentleman, indeed, with a capital G. Great interview again. Another book to look foreward to, too.

OHMSS69

Moore woud have been dead doing Lazenby's, and Dalton's stunts as well.

Gustav_Graves

But Moore is alive....and ready to turn 100 ;-).

Agent7F

Gustav_Graves wrote:

But Moore is alive....and ready to turn 100 ;-).

Of course he still alive. All of the 007s are alive today.

QBranch

Gustav_Graves wrote:

But Moore is alive....and ready to turn 100 ;-).

:-bd

And I hope he lives as long as he wishes to. Sir Roger Moore is a true saint.

Ellis

All the Bond actors would have been dead if they did all their own stunts. Even Daniel does not do all of his own stunts, as some indeed are VERY dangerous and require a professional stunt man to carry them out.

If there's another former Bond more supportive of the Bond franchise than Roger Moore, I'm not aware of him. He is a true Ambassador of, not only for chldren through UNICEF (a genuine hero for his work on behalf of children), but also for the James Bond franchise. The selection of Sir Rog to do the book "Bond On Bond" was a wise one. With the exception of Dalton, Roger Moore is the only ex-007 who does not look back on his Bond experience with bitterness or embarassment or regret. How fitting and neat it would be for the Broccoli family to have Sir Rog do a cameo in Skyfall, commemorating Bond's 50th anniversary.

By the way, Moore scoffs at the term "hero", sayng a 'hero" is rare. But I really believe that for him to devote over 20 years to the cause of children through UNICEF, and consequently become a part-time actor, qualifies Roger Moore as a true hero, regardless of his objection to that description of himself.