George Lazenby may have once played the debonair secret agent 007 in the James Bond franchise, but the actor was recently forced to issue a public apology after his sexually charged commentary during an interview panel resulted in severe backlash. Lazenby was the second actor to take up the role of James Bond after Sean Connery’s initial departure from the franchise in the 1960s. Lazenby made his first and only appearance as James Bond in the film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
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His performance was met with mixed reactions, although it did lead to a nomination for a Golden Globe Award. Lazenby was slated to return to the role for The Man With The Golden Gun but decided to turn it down, citing creative differences with the producers. Even so, as those before him, he played James Bond with the same charm and suave approach to danger and women alike. According to the film’s director, Peter Hunt, he selected Lazenby for the role of James Bond because he wanted someone who “oozed sexual reassurance.”
Similar to his onscreen predecessor, former James Bond actor George Lazenby enjoyed pursuing multiple women, coming under fire for reflecting on many of his sexual exploits during The Music of James Bond panel, according to BBC. The actor’s anecdotes on the topic led to an uproar by audience members who took offense to his comments, going so far as to say that they were “horrific” and “disgusting”. Lazenby was reportedly jeered offstage, with one audience member saying the following about the incident:
"He was homophobic, he swore, he certainly wasn't talking about his Bond movies…He downplayed the Queen a day after she died…It was absolutely unbelievable…At one point he named an Australian cricketer whose daughter he was chasing, and he said he dragged the daughter out of a pub and put her in a car in London, which again is of course horrific…It wasn't even charming, it wasn't even funny. It was creepy, it was offensive…He was disgusting, there's no two ways about it."
Lazenby later took to Twitter to post the following apology:
Lazenby’s romantic exploits as James Bond may have been well received in the film, but his personal recollections were not. Although several other audience members echoed the sentiments above, at least one has gone on record stating that Lazenby’s stories were exaggerated and meant for comedic purposes, blaming “woke” culture for ruining what he considered an entertaining experience. Despite the support shown by some, Lazenby was removed from upcoming tour appearances.
Like his fellow James Bond actor, Connery has also received backlash for resurfaced comments made about hitting women. It is clear that times and social standards have changed quite a bit since 007 was first introduced. There is currently a push to see James Bond cast as an ethnic minority or female following Daniel Craig's departure from the part. Whatever future direction James Bond directors choose, the charged current social atmosphere guarantees that, regardless of the decision, it will be surrounded by controversy.