"I hate that damn Bond, I'd like to kill him": what the role of 007 did to its six performers

1Sean Connery, the man who defined the spy How did he get to Bond? Thanks to Dana, the wife of producer Albert R. Broccoli, the creator of the saga with Harry Saltzman. She saw in Connery the qualities that would make him a viewers' favorite Bond: a combination of sexual magnetism and elegance that did not excite the character's creator, Ian Fleming. He had designed Bond in his image and likeness, which implied a past of private schools, exclusive clubs and sophistication in abundance. In the picture, Sean Connery and Shirley Eaton in 'Goldfinger' (1964). Getty Images

2Cool air, Scottish accent and thinning hair "I thought I would meet Commander Bond, not a stunt double," he said the first time he saw a Connery whose youth could not have been more the opposite of his: he was a son As a laborer, he left school at the age of 13 and had jobs as varied as polishing coffins or delivering milk on his curriculum. Until the rotundity of his physique prevailed and, after some success as a bodybuilder, the doors of interpretation were opened to him. That guy with the cocky air, Scottish accent, and thinning hair — he played almost every movie in the series with a toupee — wasn't his dream commander, but he finally had to swallow his words. Mentored by director Terence Young, Connery ended up playing the secret agent licensed to kill even better than he had dreamed of.In the picture, Sean Connery during the filming of 'Diamonds for Eternity'. Getty Images

3The Bond stage The Scotsman starred in six films of the saga (and an apocryphal, 'Never say never again') and made Bond a model of masculinity and style thanks to his physique, but also brought a subtle layer of irony that freed the character sliding down the slope of the parody. All his installments were a success because the world adored him, or almost everyone. His disagreements with Broccoli were so notorious that the actor would hide in his dressing room when the producer arrived on set. According to 'The Guardian', at the time of 'Diamonds for Eternity', his official farewell to the character, he was so fed up that he gave his fees to charity. "I've always hated that damn James Bond. I'd like to kill him," he declared. In the picture, Ursula Andress and Sean Connery. Getty Images

4 Is there life after Bond? While Connery was playing the spy, he shot with Hitchcock 'Marnie the Thief'. Later would come a handful of masterpieces such as 'The offense', by Sidney Lumet, 'The man who could reign', by John Huston or 'Robin and Marian' with Audrey Hepburn. Also an Oscar for 'The Untouchables of Eliott Ness' and iconic characters such as Ramírez from 'The Immortals', Guillermo de Baskerville from 'The Name of the Rose' or the father of Indiana Jones in 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade' . And he still had the opportunity to participate in another eternal saga, 'The Lord of the Rings', but he said no to Gandalf for not understanding the script. However, he was probably the only person who did understand the 'League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'. In the image,Sean Connery with Kim Basinger and Barbara Carrera in 'Never Say Never Again'. Getty Images

5George Lazenby, the ephemeral Bond who went crazy How did he get to Bond? Throwing a face. Lazenby, an Australian model with no film experience, tells in the documentary 'James Bond's Skin' that when he learned that a replacement was being sought for Bond, he went to Connery's barber to ask for his haircut and his tailor to get one of his suits, bought a Rolex and sneaked into producer Harry Saltzman's office with a cocky "I heard they were looking for James Bond." A boldness that, added to his mastery of martial arts and a spectacular physique, helped him prevail over more than 400 candidates. In the picture, George Lazenby in 'In His Majesty's Service'. Getty Images

6The Bond stage Although at the time the critics and the public despised it, time has placed 'At the service of his majesty' as one of the best of the saga and the favorite of directors such as Christopher Nolan, who was inspired by it to the spectacular snow scene from 'Origen'. Lazenby endowed the character with a humor and emotional depth - it is his Bond's turn to fall in love, marry and be widowed in just two hours - that would have been impossible with a Connery who drew a neutral character who remained unaltered in any situation. Despite the fact that Connery's succession had not gotten off to a good start, the producers offered him a long-term contract to establish himself in the character, but against all logic, Lazenby refused. In the picture, George Lazenby in 'In His Majesty's Service'.Getty Images

7Changing the Martini for LSD The role had risen so vertiginously to his head that he was transferred by helicopter and carried weapons to the set that he fired randomly, to the horror of the technical team. When everyone took his continuity for granted, he declared, "Bond is a brute. I've already left him behind. I will never play him again. Peace, that's the message now." He had joined the countercultural movement that was beginning to take off on the streets of London and horrified Broccoli by growing a beard and long hair and swapping the Martini for LSD. “He felt so out of place in his finely tailored suits that he donated three suitcases full of them to the Salvation Army with tags that read: 'Specially Made for George Lazenby for' On Her Majesty's Secret Service. 'feature Matthew Field and Ajay Chowdhury in 'Some Kind of Hero. The Remarkable Story of James Bond '. In the picture, George Lazenby in 'In His Majesty's Service'. Getty Images

8 Is there life after Bond? Despite the fact that while embracing 'hippism' he expressed his admiration for Dennis Hopper and his desire to work with directors such as Arthur Penn or John Schlesinger, the highlight that Lazenby made after Bond were discreet appearances in series such as 'Diagnosis: murder' or 'Baywatch' and 'Emmanuelle' telefilms with Sylvia Kristel, another broken toy in the industry eaten by her character. The actor who had been awarded a Golden Globe nomination for breakthrough actor by Bond (competing with Michael Douglas and Jon Voight) saw that just a decade later all the doors had closed. So he issued a public statement: "I admit I acted stupid. Everything that was happening to me went to my head.But it was my first movie. What I have to do is convince people that I am not the same person who made a fool of myself all those years ago. I know I can do it. All I need is the opportunity. "The only Bond for whom there were no more characters ended up successfully investing in real estate, something very little countercultural, and today he is one of the happiest ambassadors of the saga he hated, as he makes clear in his social networks.In the image, George Lazenby in 'In the service of his majesty'. Getty ImagesAnd today he is one of the happiest ambassadors of the saga he hated, as he makes clear on his social networks. In the picture, George Lazenby in 'In His Majesty's Service'. Getty ImagesAnd today he is one of the happiest ambassadors of the saga he hated, as he makes clear on his social networks. In the picture, George Lazenby in 'In His Majesty's Service'. Getty Images

9Roger Moore, the Bond who did not know how to run How did he get to Bond? After Lazenby's fright, Broccoli opted for an old longing: Roger Moore, whom he had groped even before Connery. This time it was not a rookie or an arrogant Scotsman, but a whole British gentleman who was already a star thanks to the series 'The Saint'. A star perhaps too veteran. Moore made his debut as Bond when he was 46 years old (and seducing a Jane Seymour of only 22, one of the hallmarks of the franchise). But it was not an obstacle for him to accept the role. When asked if he had doubts, he weathered it with the same sense of humor that characterized his character: “The playwright Noël Coward came up to me one day and said: 'Young man, with your attractiveness and your disastrous lack of talent you should take any work that they propose to you.And if they offer you two at the same time, take the one that gives you the most money. ' And here I am". In the picture, Roger Moore enjoying a Martini in 1968. Getty Images

10The Bond stage “Moore was, at the same time, Bond and his parody, the most playful and Dionysian incarnation of the character and, above all, the charismatic actor who ended up transforming that brown beast with license to kill into a pure vector of adventure for All public." Jordi Costa wrote in EL PAÍS about the changes that the British brought to the character. With Moore, Bond became a more relaxed and less complex guy and, unlike Connery, he didn't need anyone to teach him how to be a gentleman, he already was. And he made the character so his own that he wore his own wardrobe, which included flared pants, Saharan, tight ski suits and ivory tuxedos. Fashion interested him much more than the physical part. In the picture, Roger Moore in 'For Your Eyes Only'. Getty Images

11Pacifism, but for real Unlike Lazenby, he did not shoot any action scenes and even refused to run in front of the camera, which is why almost everything he does on screen except sipping Dry Martini is dubbed. Paradoxically, he was also trying not to shoot because he suffered from a childhood trauma related to guns. He was the pacifist Bond and not Lazenby. Despite this, his legacy is not exactly boring, thanks to the fact that he had the most delirious time of the spy, with nonsense like 'Octopussy' and 'Moonraker', Bond's special adventure after the success of 'The war of galaxies' made the industry crazy. In the picture, Roger Moore in 'Panorama to kill'. Getty Images

12Is there a life after Bond? Yes, for the life that Moore was interested in, which consisted of spending winters skiing and summers playing tennis. Ready guy. Despite this, he found a space between sets and slaloms to continue participating in projects where he displayed his sense of humor, such as 'Spiceworld: The Movie'. In the picture, Roger Moore in 'Live and let die'. Getty Images

13Timothy Dalton, the Shakespearean Bond How did he get to Bond? When Moore felt too old for his doubles to chase after the evil ones, he had to reset the saga and again Broccoli reviewed his schedule to rescue another actor who had not been able to be Bond at the time: Timothy Dalton. The Welshman, who had spent most of his career in theater and television, was the first chosen to replace Connery, but at just 25 he looked very young for the role. Six years later, he donned the spy suit, prevailing over everyone's favorite except Broccoli, Sam Neill. In the picture, Timothy Dalton in a promotional image for 'High Voltage'. Getty Images

14The Bond stage In addition to rejuvenating the saga, with the new Bond the producers sought to make the character more earthy and more attached to what Fleming had written, even physically. Dalton first did everything Craig is being applauded for today. He was taciturn and violent but vulnerable, with an inner life that was pure torment and an outer life that was much more realistic. Timothy Dalton on the set of 'High Tension'. Getty Images

15More Boards, Less Bond Facing the pristine Moore, Dalton looked as if he had come out of a container. Something that misled those who had been hooked on the saga with Moore's family proposals and did not understand a formula darker and closer to the television 'Miami Vice'. After a six-year hiatus caused by rights struggles, Dalton, who had always felt more comfortable on the boards than crammed into an emóquin, considered that his time as 007 had passed. In the picture, Maryam d'Abo, Timothy Dalton and Caroline Bliss in a promotional image of 'High tension'. Getty Images

16Is there a life after Bond? After his departure from the saga, he embarked on one of the productions that caused the most talk, for the worse, in the nineties, that second part of 'Gone with the wind' - in the form of a miniseries and with the title of ' Scarlet '- that should never have been carried out. If being a new Bond was complex, it was going to be more complex to replace Clark Gable as Rhett Butler. Fortunately, today the world has forgotten. Much better to remember him as the protagonist of 'Penny Dreadful' and 'Doom Patrol' and as the voice of the theatrical Señor Púas in the last installments of the 'Toy Story' saga. Timothy Dalton, as James Bond, surrounded by women on the set of 'High Tension'. Getty Images

17Pierce Bronan, the man who was born to be Bond How did he come to be Bond? It was predestined. During a visit to the set of 'For Your Eyes Only', in which his wife Cassandra Harris played the Bond girl, Broccoli's ineffable wife took her eye. At the time, Brosnan was very young and the role was covered, but he stayed on the list of futuribles and after the success of 'Remington Steele' he became the only one on the list. But NBC enforced his contract to truncate his signing for the saga (as CBS did with Tom Selleck and 'Indiana Jones'). Even so, contrary to what happened with the protagonist of 'Magnum', the producers waited for him and in 1994, when that contract ended, it was announced that Brosnan was the new 007.The actor wore the tuxedo so well that the producers prohibited him from wearing it outside the saga, so in order not to breach his contract in 'The Secret of Thomas Crowe' he wears it with his shirt unbuttoned and his bow tie untied. In the picture, Pierce Brosnan on the set of 'The world is never enough'.

18The Bond Stage After six years, it was time to remind the public why it was worth the wait and the vehicle of choice was 'Goldeneye'. The letter of introduction of the new Bond had all the elements that had given glory to the saga and added as winning cards Judi Dench as M and Tina Turner in the soundtrack. The critics surrendered to the new formula and confirmed that Brosnan was perfect: a conjunction of the virtues of each of the previous Bonds, as the critic Doug Thomas wrote. There was only one problem: his films are probably the worst in the series. They don't even have the tacky charm of the Moore-era blunders, they're just complicated and saturated with special effects. In the picture, Izabella Scorupco and Pierce Brosnan in 'GoldenEye'. Getty Images

19 "You have been a great Bond" Precisely after 'Die another day', of which the world only remembers Halle Berry in a bikini, the critic Christy Lemire wrote: “Maybe it is time to say goodbye to Bond”. Brosnan had the dubious honor of being the only Bond who did not voluntarily leave the franchise. “I was in the Bahamas, working on a movie called 'The Big Hit' and my agents called me and said, 'The negotiations have stopped. Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson (Broccoli's children and heirs) are not quite sure what they want to do. They'll call you next Thursday, ”he told 'The Guardian' in 2015.“ That day I sat at Richard Harris's house with Barbara and Michael saying, 'We're so sorry.' She was crying. Michael said, 'You've been a great James Bond.Thank you'. I replied, 'Thank you very much, bye.' ' That was it. I was completely shocked and felt like I had been kicked on the sidewalk. " Despite the criticism, 'Die Another Day' had achieved the highest grossing of a Bond in two decades, but the world had changed after 9/11 and it was time to turn the character around again. In the picture, Pierce Brosnan and Teri Hatcher in 'Tomorrow never dies'. Getty ImagesPierce Brosnan and Teri Hatcher in 'Tomorrow Never Dies'. Getty ImagesPierce Brosnan and Teri Hatcher in 'Tomorrow Never Dies'. Getty Images

20Is there a life after Bond? The question is whether there is life behind the personal tragedies that he has had to overcome. His wife, Cassandra Harris, died of ovarian cancer in 1991 and in 2013 their daughter died of the same disease. Brosnan, who defines himself as an “actor, producer and painter”, took refuge in painting without neglecting his work on the screen. Like Connery, he's played so many roles that it's easy to forget he was Bond one day. 'Mamma Mía', 'The Writer', 'Mrs. Doubtfire', 'Mars Attacks!'. Nothing has resisted. Only 007, probably. In the picture, Pierce Brosnan on the set of 'GoldenEye'. Getty Images

21Daniel Craig, the Blond Bond How did he get to Bond? As Barbara Broccoli reveals in the Apple TV + documentary 'In the Skin of James Bond', it all started when she saw him in 'Elizabeth' and said to herself: “That is the most charismatic person I have ever seen on screen. The daughter of the man who started the saga showed the same eye as her mother with Connery and Brosnan, because on paper it was a risky decision. Craig did not fit the canon that fans of the saga had in mind: he was blonde, Short, undistinguished beauty and with a past of more complex roles than usual, he had played Francis Bacon's lover in "Love is the Devil" and Truman Capote's object of desire in "Crime Story." And he had among his best known roles his passage through 'Lara Croft:Tomb Rider 'and' Munich ', by Spielberg. He was a great secondary, but he did not have a protagonist in his career who endorsed his ability to face the circus that is every Bond production. Her profile did not seem the most appropriate and he was aware, although perhaps he did not expect it to be because of something as mundane as the tone of her hair. "Are we ready for a blond James Bond?" wondered the BBC. Meanwhile, on the networks, anonymous furious wrote pearls as "it is ugly of noses" and lamented its failure even before production had begun. That rumble stopped as soon as images leaked out of him emerging from the water in his bathing suit. His pecs erased all prejudices more effectively than the neuralizer from 'Men in Black'. In the picture, Daniel Craig in a promotional portrait for 'Casino Royale'.Getty Images

22The Bond Stage "Against expectations, and mostly by Craig and Eva Green, 'Casino Royale' is the best Bond movie in decades," proclaimed 'The Telegraph'. He had passed the test. After the initial pitch, each spy movie became an event again, despite the skid of 'Quantum of solace', shot in the middle of the writers' strike, a lucrative disaster despite all that gave way to 'Skyfall' with the majestic song by Adele and with Javier Bardem as Silva, a villain who dares to make sexual advances to Bond while torturing him. When Bond responds to his advances, "What makes you think it would be my first time?", The premiere audience howled with joy. A phrase that, as Broccoli tells in the documentary, they had to fight to keep in the script.Times have changed a lot since that Bond from 'Goldfinger' who 'de-lesbianized' Pussy Galore by raping her in a stable. In the picture, Daniel Craig at the premiere of 'Specter' in Berlin. Getty Images

23Running with a broken knee Broccoli also says that the demands of the shoot and those imposed on himself by Craig led him to shoot 'Specter' with a broken knee. Which explains why, when the premiere came, he made the statement that justifies the documentary: "I'd rather cut my wrists than go back to being James Bond." In the documentary, the actor himself explains how he had to deal with an unimaginable level of fame: "My personal life was affected by being so famous all of a sudden. I would lock myself up and close the curtains, I was in the clouds. I felt physically and mentally. besieged ". He also explains that his friend Hugh Jackman gave him the guidelines to manage his newfound popularity. In the picture, Daniel Craig at the premiere of 'Quantum of solace'. Getty Images

24Is there a life after Bond? Craig already has the third part of 'Daggers in the back' on the agenda, a success that other films of his that had generated high expectations did not enjoy such as' Cowboys and Aliens', 'The Golden Compass' or the adaptation of' The girl from the Dragon Tattoo 'directed by David Fincher. His choice to play Mikael Blomkvist, a short-sighted man with a belly and a transcript of the writer Stieg Larsson, as Bond was Ian Fleming, was totally crazy, but that did not seem to matter to anyone. They were both blond. In the picture, Prince Charles of England with Daniel Craig on the set of 'No Time to Die'. Getty Images