Bond's Favorite Villain
	TIME talks to Richard Kiel, the man who played Jaws
	By JEFF CHU

Posted Wednesday, Nov 6, 2002; 20:34GMT
No Bond henchman was more lovable than Jaws, the steel-toothed giant who had audiences cheering at his indestructibility in The Spy Who Loved Me and who returned — and even found love — in Moonraker. American actor Richard Kiel, who played the part, recently spoke with TIME about his experiences as a Bond cast member.

TIME: Most henchmen are forgotten. What was the difference with Jaws?
Kiel: The character made Bond slightly more vulnerable. The old predictable formula of Bond always winning came into question. Jaws is persistent, always getting blown up and having houses fall on him. But he still keeps trying. The underdog thing always works. If you can become a simpatico villain and make him have feelings, too, then that works.

TIME: Did the part appeal to you right away?
Kiel: I almost didn't play the part because I thought it was over -the-top. Cubby [Broccoli], with his Godfather voice, said, "We're not sure whether Jaws will have teeth like tools or sharp and pointed like a shark — but he will kill with his teeth." I thought that if I were to play the part, I would give the character some qualities — perseverance, vulnerability — that would make him more human.

TIME: You must get spotted all the time. After all, Jaws is a pretty distinctive looking character.
Kiel: I'm quite a bit older and chubbier and I don't have the steel teeth. But people do walk by and do triple takes. Twenty-five years have passed, and Jaws is still such a popular villain. I've been blown away.

TIME: What's unique about working on Bond films?
Kiel: The atmosphere. It's the kind of thing that is just missing in Hollywood: caring for the actors. It all goes back to Cubby. Before he offered me the part, he actually asked me to come over to dinner to meet his family — to get the approval of his wife and children. It is a family business, and they make family decisions. Here's an example. My wife was pregnant during the shooting of The Spy Who Loved Me. She was going into her ninth month, so it wasn't really a good idea for her to be traveling, but she didn't want to go home to the U.S. early on her own. So when we did fly back, without saying a word to us, we found that Cubby had decided to fly a British doctor with us, first class. He just didn't want anything to happen. You don't find that kind of treatment in Hollywood at all

Get the news delivered to your desktop FREE NEWSLETTER! Sign up now for TIME's World Watch e-mail newsletter