Wednesday, Nov. 06, 2002

A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups

By JEFF CHU

Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2002
Roger Moore — the only Englishman ever to play James Bond — performed the role seven times, more than any other actor. He's remembered for his tongue-in-cheek take on the character. He spoke with TIME from his home in Monaco about James Bond, the Bond family, and the endurance of the film franchise.

TIME: Your interpretation of Bond was probably the least serious of all.
Moore: You'll get different interpretations of any character. Five thousand actors have played Hamlet — and they've all played it differently. With Bond, I don't believe in that sort of serious hero, so I couldn't play it straight. I always knew I was going to win the fight. So I had to do it with a lot of tongue and a lot of cheek, from someone who has a lot of cheek.

TIME: But people don't really take it seriously when it's played up for l aughs.
Moore: They take it seriously when they see the box office figures. The bottom line is the bottom line. When we were promoting Moonraker in Paris, a young lady from TIME came up to me and said, "Don't you ever want to make a serious film?" I said, "They're spending 35 million on this. It's very serious." Sure, nobody really sees it as an acting role. Sometimes you'd say "Oh God, I wish I had a scene of depth to do." But then I'd get the paycheck.

TIME: What was special about working on a Bond film, aside from the adoring masses, of course?
Moore: The atmosphere. Cubby was worried about the welfare of everybody, from the grips all the way up to the actors and actresses. And nothing pleased him more than to get in the kitchen and cook a big batch of spaghetti for us. We also played a lot of backgammon and ran a book. We paid up on the last day of each film. We always had to arrive at a figure that wouldn't make either of us cry.

TIME: Why do you think the franchise has lasted as long as it has?
Moore: For one thing, the producers have never cheated on doing it right. The girls have always been glamorous. The sets have always been glamorous. And the stunts have always been spectacular. Also, it's a fairy tale. Bond is a fun project. It's entertainment. The plots have this similarity: Mr. Bad trying to take over the world and Mr. Bond, the good, trying to stop him. It's like telling a kid a story at night. You don't change a word. You update, but the story's the same: good vs. evil.

TIME: The fame has opened doors for you.
Moore: Yes, from Bond, I've gotten enough celebrity to work with UNICEF. It's rather amusing that one of the things I'm promoting is breast feeding. James Bond promoting breast feeding!