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Movies

interview: Gloria Hendry – Rosie Carver

Gloria Hendry is one of the most lovely women I’ve ever had the chance to meet. Recently she took a large amount of time from her busy schedule to answer some of my questions. Gloria’s a lady who is not only beautiful but incredibly intelligent as you will see in the following interview. I hope you enjoy it.

Tell us a little about yourself…

I am the eldest of two girls. We were born in Florida. My family members are from Georgia, Alabama and Florida. My people are Seminole Indian, African, Creek Indian, Irish, Chinese and something else and range in color from deep chocolate to café ‘ole. Since America symbolizes the melting pot of the world, my family members are true Americans.

My mother left Florida to join my grandmother and grandfather in Jersey City, New Jersey, when I was about 2 years old and my sister around a year old. We lived with them until I was about 7 years old. From the age of 7 until 18, my sister and I lived with my mother and her companion in Newark, New Jersey until I graduated from high school. Throughout elementary school, I maintained excellent grades and played the violin in the All-City Orchestra and performed for radio, and various academic events.

During my high school years, my grades were average and my educational training consisted of Gregg shorthand, typing and various clerical skills to prepare me for my occupation as a Secretary. After graduation, I attended Essex College of Business for Law for a Legal Secretary position. All through school, I excelled in sports of all kinds: basketball, touch football, baseball, volley ball, sprinting, fence climbing, bicycling, swimming, gymnastics, Latin dancing, jumping rope, roller skating which continued into my adulthood, tennis, snow and water skiing, distant running, weight lifting, ballet, roller blading, ice skating and Karate.

You were the first African American Bond girl (Unless you count Thumper from Diamonds Are Forever) and at the time it wasn’t socially acceptable for a white man to be with a black women (or a black man for the matter ) do you think that your role in the film helped make the interracial situation more acceptable to audiences?

I remember Harry Saltzman talking seriously to me about racism. He expressed that it was a shame that we still had racism. He said that everyone should marry another race so no one could say they were one race or the other and this would stamp out racism. He suggested to me that I should marry a Caucasian.

As a black woman with a white co-star in the 1970’s did you ever receive any negative feedback from the audiences?

A fan told me that in certain sections of Live and Let Die, where Roger and I were kissing by the lake was cut out. My photograph and name were splattered throughout the world in various newspapers, magazines and billboards with positive comments associating me with Live and Let Die. For a number of years thereafter, people called upon me to make special appearances and/or to give my endorsement for various causes.

If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought that I had starred in Live and Let Die. After being associated in advertising all over the world and going from one publicity event to another for Live and Let Die, I found after time had passed my name was no longer associated with the film. Nor was I named or called upon when there was mention or request of the 007 James Bond Ladies. I never knew what to think of that.

How did you get the role of Rosie Carver?

I received a phone call from my manager, Lloyd Kolmar, in New York City, who said, “I need you back in New York to audition for “Live and Let Die,” the James Bond movie. I said I don’t have a chance in the world. They want large breasted women, not me. Besides, I’m not White. My manager said, “They want to see you. Don’t you understand? You have to fly back on your own dime.” I had to think about that. After a couple of days in numbers crunching, I called him back and said exasperated, OKAY! Where is the audition? Lloyd gave me Harry Saltzman’s office address in New York City and the time and date for me to appear. I caught the next flight out. I still had my New York apartment. So, I said to myself, I’m going to put on my best clothes. It was November 1972.

When I walked into Harry Saltzman’s office, I saw this regal, strong, sophisticated, deep, dark set eyes, white-haired man, quietly sitting there. As I entered, he stood up. He said nothing, just gestured for me to sit down and so did he. And in the next moment, he asked me how was my flight here from Los Angeles. I told him. Then, he said, How soon can you fly out to New Orleans to meet the director, Guy Hamilton, and Roger Moore? We can book you on the next flight. If you would like. I said, without thinking, Okay! So before I knew it, Mr. Saltzman made arrangements with his secretary. He had a car waiting for me.

So, off I went to the airport on the next flight out. At the airport in Louisiana, a driver met me with a sign holding up my name and picked me up in a large Mercedes limousine and took me to the French Quarter where someone from the “Live and Let Die” production greeted me. I met with the director, Guy Hamilton, and Roger Moore, The Saint. I was very nervous. We talked, laughed and ate. It was like a dream come true. But, I knew not to take any of this seriously. Then, they took me to the movie set to watch them continue to film “Live and Let Die.” They were most gracious and asked if I wanted to stay for the weekend. I said, No, no thank you. I would like to return to New York on the next available flight. That evening they said, We will call me later to let me know. I returned to New York City and stopped at my apartment again and got a few things, then, hopped the next available flight to Los Angeles, California. About a week had passed, I received a telephone call from my manager, Lloyd, “YOU GOT IT!

Tell us about you relationship with Roger Moore. In his James Bond Diary he refers to you as “Gloria Ass” which has lead some people to believe that you two didn’t have a “sparkling” relationship.

Throughout the filming of Live and Let Die, Roger Moore and Harry Saltzman were most gracious and kind to me. By the way, during our stay in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, at the Sans Souci Hotel, my room was located in between Roger and his family and Harry and his family which I had the great pleasure of meeting and often having dinner with them. In my mind, I thought they wanted to keep an eye on me and keep me safe. However, I snuck out as often as I could to hang out with the people of Jamaica. I had the fortune to fall in love with a wonderful Jamaican gentleman.

It’s also been said (by Lois “Moneypenny” Maxwell as a matter of fact) that Roger Moore didn’t like/get along with many of his female co-stars. How would you respond to that?

During the filming and stay in Jamaica, Roger shared his chauffeured driven limousine with me each workday. Whenever Roger was asked and he signed his autograph, he gave me the pen and said sign yours too (this was a first-time experience to sign my name for any fan). Each morning, around 6:00am, Roger and I shared the hotel swimming pool, half asleep, pushing dead bumblebees aside, as we swam from one end of the pool to the other, in opposite directions. I liked Roger very much. He was a true gentleman.

Tell us about locations shooting.

We filmed from November through December 1972 in Jamaica. Sometime in December, Harry asked me whom would I love to share the holiday spirit? Without any hesitation, I told him, my Mother. He said, so be it. I called my Mother at her factory job, American Aluminum, in New Jersey, requesting her to take off and join me. My Mother was thrilled. She had never been to Jamaica or for that matter ever flown first-class. Harry had my Mother flown first-class and stay with me until New Year’s Day.

How many days total were you on location shooting?

After my Mother left Jamaica, I was called in for a meeting with Harry and Guy, who said in essence, we don’t want to kill you off Madam because so many people like you. So, standby there might be a script change. A couple of days after that, Harry apologized that they had to kill me. So, we shot the scene that day. Then, I was flown ahead of everyone, as a tourist, to London, England, where someone met me at the airport. My hotel room took up the entire floor of the hotel. I had the opportunity to work at the legendary Pinewood Studios, dubbing and completing interiors. I remember Harry talking seriously to me about racism. He expressed that it was a shame that we still had racism. He said that everyone should marry another race so no one could say they were one race or the other and this would stamp out racism. He suggested to me that I should marry a Caucasian. Then, he introduced me to a very special gentleman whom he considered would be a good choice for me to marry. I went out with him a couple of times, and he told me how to dress and act. I became disinterested in an arranged marriage. However, because it was winter, I also wanted to go home.

It was always very dark and cold in London – there was never any sunshine. During my stay, I received a telephone call from a producer and was sent a script and offered a starring role in a film opposite Jim Brown, “Slaughter’s Big Rip-Off,” which I accepted.

The producers often are said to have given the best of the best to their stars. Would you agree?

Yes. They had treated me like I had starred in Live and Let Die and so much more. The only time I saw the film with the public was in New York City at the 1973 United States’ premiere with my mother and her companion, sister and I were chauffeured in a large black limousine Cadillac, a huge affair that I had never ever experienced in my whole life. I remember not knowing how to act because people were shouting my name, asking for my autograph (remembering Roger giving me the pen to sign), cameras were flashing all around me and at that moment in my life, I felt I was somebody really, really special.

My photograph and name were splattered throughout the world in various newspapers and magazines with positive comments. For a number of years thereafter, people called upon me to make special appearances and/or to give my endorsement for various causes. If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought that I had starred in Live and Let Die.

Everyone on the set treated me like I was starring in Live and Let Die. I had my own chair, dressing area, Roger shared his limousine with me, and personal publicity shots. The photographer followed me throughout filming both in and out of the States. One day, someone on the set came up to me and told the story that the role of Solitaire was initially written for and a Black actress was hired to play the part. While filming somewhere in New York City or New Orleans, they decided that it was too risky to have a Black Woman end up with James Bond. Therefore, the role of Rosie Carver was switched to Black and the role of Solitaire was switched to White. That is where I came in. I am known as MRS. JAMES BOND.

Tell us about working with Guy Hamilton and the others on the crew. I’ve talked with Guy Hamilton and he seems like he’d be a pleasure to work with.

Guy Hamilton was a joy to work with. He took his time. Never got upset. If the scene was not working, he would take me aside and have a conversation about the weather, then mention a thing or two about the scene. Then we would return to filming. Roger disliked retakes, so Guy handled Roger with great care and consideration, as he did all of us.

–Gloria Hendry resides in California and is currently working on an autobiography. She has appeared at Bond Weekend III.

Movies

interview: Ejection Seats And Secret Doors: Q Remembered

“Yes, I know Q is beloved,” Desmond said. “But for God`s sake, don`t make him some kind of sentimental grandfather — that`s what I am in real life.” Meeting Desmond Llewelyn was a little like meeting Santa Claus…

“The key to Q is his conflict with Bond,” Desmond explained that day at lunch. “When I was cast, the director said, `Everyone loves Bond, except for you. You hate him…”

Bruce Feirstein knew Desmond Llewelyn intimately since the early 1990`s and his first work on “GoldenEye”. Enjoy the full story courtesy of Salon.com at “Desmond Llewelyn”.

Movies

interview: Director Michael Apted

In Los Angeles to promote The World Is Not Enough, Fandom writer Steve Biodrowski caught up with the new Bond director to get his thoughts on doing Bond. Here`s an excerpt of that conversation:

Q: BEING NEW TO THE FRANCHISE, WHAT WAS IT LIKE WORKING WITH PIERCE BROSNAN?

Appearance has a lot to do with clothing and trousers and a dress shirt are seen as universal dress codes. Nonetheless, products which contain effectual ingredients like those of Groei360 are useful for regaining hair. Look for Free Shipping Certain online suppliers offer free shipping as the number one purchasing factor when shopping online? E-commerce logistics and supply chain has become the focal point for freight shipping companies today.It is changing the way goods are moved from manufacturers to retailers and consumers. Finally, the product is quite affordable in rate and if you want it at your doorstep, online stores are there to get it. Apted: Well, he had to approve me. I had to meet with him before we started and all that. I think he had a real appetite and energy to develop what he was doing. He wanted more character in it; he kept saying to me, `Give me stuff to do; give me stuff to play.` He said, `I`ll do all the action, but I don`t want to spend six months just doing that. I have Judi Dench; I have Robbie Coltrane. These are great actors-give me something to do with them.` His dynamic all the way through while he were doing draft after draft-sending them back saying, `This isn`t very good`-was that we were on the same page, and that we both wanted the same thing. All of us wanted the same thing; it wasn`t that we were at odds. He was a very useful kind of benchmark for it, because he was doing THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR at the time, so he wasn`t there for the endless discussions. He would keep on at me and keep on at me to make the stuff better. That was what he wanted, and he was really pushing me to deliver what I could deliver. So it was a good dynamic. I think he just wants to make it his own-put his personality into Bond, which I think is the key to the franchise. It`s why the franchise has stayed alive. Although it`s James Bond, it`s five different characters. They`re all called James Bond, but they`re not remotely alike, and I think Pierce wants to stamp his individuality on it. One of his individualities is his ability to be complicated and to connect with other characters and his willingness, as Bond, to be vulnerable-to walk that high wire between being a mean, brutal killer and also being kind of sensitive to things, which is in some ways more the spirit of Fleming than even Sean [Connery] was.

The full interview with Michael Apted can be found at www.fandom.com Thursday.

Movies

interview: Director John Glen and Producer Michael Wilson

Imagine if you will, our hero being buried in an avalanche of snow during a harrowing ski chase in the Swiss Alps; plunging off a 5,000-foot precipice while evading a team of KGB assassins; being thrown from a plane sans parachute during a savage midair battle. Each scenario spells certain death, right? Not for James Bond for whom these adventure`s are all in a day`s work. They epitomize his world and touch the imagination of filmgoers across the globe. They`ve also made James Bond films the most successful motion picture series of all time.

With the advent of Roger Moore as Ian Fleming`s intrepid agent 007, the Bond films transformed from tongue-in-cheek spy thrillers to action-comedy romps that strove more for cheers than thrills, laughter than suspense. This approach reached its height (or depth, if you prefer) with 1979`s MOONRAKER. Having moved as far as it could go in this direction, the series began edging back towards emphasizing action and suspense with FOR YOUR EYES ONLY. Two of the men who helped guide the films in this direction were director John Glen and producer-cowriter Michael G. Wilson.

“The Bond films have evolved over the years in a variety of ways,” Wilson concurred. “But they`ve changed with the times. They went from being spy thrillers to becoming action adventures; and their comedy went from being rather cynical, sick humor to a more comic knd of humor.”

The slapstick humor and spectcacular action of MOONRAKER supports this. Gone was the sardonic, razor-sharp Bond who had created a phenomenon in the `60s. In his place was a Bond who seemed content to let the audience know that he was having a good time, and who continually served as a reminder that this was, after all, only a movie. Characterizations and plot took a backseat to stunts, gadgets and special effects; and the film was closer to a comic STAR WARS than to early James Bond. Though the metamorphosis was not terribly well received by critics and purists, it received praise from the commerical audience, and was one of the highest-grossing entries in the series.

“As far as our audience was concerned, MOONRAKER was the most popular one,” said Wilson. “It was our feeling–which was probably more in line with the critics than the movie-going public–that we couldn`t go any further in that direction. You always have to take new directions or you risk becoming stymied.”

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY followed in 1981, and though Bond was portrayed as a more serious character, critics claimed that the film was nothing more than a series of chase scenes. They placed the blame on debuting director John Glen, who had previously supervised the stunt sequences in several earlier Bond films. OCTOPUSSY (1983), on the other hand, released in 1983, combined the best of the old and new elements and turned out to be one of the more superior Bond films to be released in many years. Unfortunately, the follow-up, A VIEW TO A KILL (1985), slipped back into slapstick excess. The film turned out to be Roger Moore`s swansong, allowing the series to reinvent itself with a new, younger Bond in the form of Timothy Dalton.

“I learned a lot of things on FOR YOUR EYES ONLY in terms of pacing,” Glen reflected. “I tried to be more objective on OCTOPUSSY and not too emotionally involved in the action of it–stepping back and listening to criticism. I also think that I did more work on OCTOPUSSY`s script. On FOR YOUR EYES ONLY, I was brought in just before shooting began; the script was very rushed. I think the transitions were better in OCTOPUSSY.”

Analyzing the success of the Bond films` new style, Wilson explained that “starting with THE SPY WHO LOVE ME, we had developed a style of spectacle, action and humor in about equal amounts. You`ll find that other successful pictures, like the Indiana Jones films and Superman, have utilized these same ingredients in about equal balances.”

Glen fully agrees with this point, citing his own work as second unit director on SPY. “I suppose my biggest single contribution was the pre-title sequence. In fact, I think that is really responsible for my being [allowed to direct].” Indeed, that sequence, which has Bond skiing off a mountain ledge, impressed both critics and audiences with its inventiveness, and Glen went on to helm five Bond films-more than any other director.

“I really think that that scene really helped to change the Bonds,” Glen continued. “They became basically action pictures, and the stunt sequences had to be improved with each one: we had to outdo outselves. It does get quite difficult to come up with original ideas, but I think we managed to do it.”

Despite the reliance on stunts, Glen finds it strangely amusing that these films can actually shoot key sequences without an actor having been signed for the lead role. He cites a climactic scene in OCTOPUSSY as an example. In this sequence, James Bond is on horseback pursuing a plane taxiing for takeoff. He leaps from the horse to the plane and hangs on for dear life as it soars skyward. It is undoubtedly one of the most stunning sequences ever filmed. We shot that before we commenced main shooting,” Glen admitted with a wry smile. “We hadn`t cast James Bond yet, but the favorite was a fellow with black hair, so the double had black hair.”

During the first week or production, rumors began that Roger Moore would be coming back as Bond, so the double was told to lighten his hair a bit. “During the second week, we found out that Roger would be returning, so we told him to lighten it all the way,” he recounted. “That`s what happens. You have to keep shooting even though you don`t know who the actors are.”

Glen stressed the importance of staying ahead of the competition. “That`s the biggest problem. Coming up with the story takes the most time, but the shooting is so visual that the idea is to keep on getting it right and staying original.”

These efforts paid off on the screen. In A VIEW TO A KILL, for example, an enemy leaps off the Eiffel Tower and floats away via a cloak turned parachute; Bond (again on skis) is pursued by a bomb-dropping helicopter; and during a chase through downtown San Francisco, 007 hijacks a fire engine and tries to elude police. The last collaboration between Moore, Wilson and Glenn combined originality with a hybrid plot that borrowed heavily from several Bond films, including FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE, GOLDFINGER, and ON HER MAJESTY`S SECRET SERVICE, as well as from SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE. Computer genius-villain Max Zorin (Christopher Walken) plots to trigger an earthquake on the west coast that will plunge California–together with much of the world`s computer technology and expertise–into the ocean.

While Michael Wilson has gone on record saying that he didn`t make the connection between the sinking of California and SUPERMAN until A VIEW TO A KILL was heavily into production, he did admit that it`s becoming increasingly difficult to come up with original Bond capers. “The limitations on the character are British Secret Service and sort of spy,” he said. “This is basic, and when you get into that, you do become limited, to some extent, in the variations. We try to make our capers reasonably important, and for that reason it`s sometimes difficult. If you made them less important, then I suppose we could have more of a variety.”

As to how Bond storylines are “important,” Wilson responded that he believes the films are “fairly political. In THE SPY WHO LOVED ME, each side was played off the other until they found out about this and joined forces,” he explained. “In OCTOPUSSY, Russian General Orlov was ready to launch World War III; and in FOR YOUR EYES ONLY, General Gogal was quite prepared to take any advantage he could, so long as he didn`t get himself in some kind of public involvement. I think that`s more or less the attitude of Russians today. They`ll take advantage if they can, but they`re cautious at the same time.”

Despite any political stance Bond films may have taken, each release brought an outcry from critics and Bond fans for a return to the early, more serious Bond. “When people say `a more serious Bond,` I`m never quite sure what they mean,” Wilson said emphatically. “They might mean FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE was a serious kind of film. I`m not sure they really want that today. We`re comic adventure fantasies. That`s what we do. As to being serious, they`re never going to be serious. I mean, they`ll never be serious in the sense of GANDHI or some other films.”

Does anyone feel that there is an end in sight? Said Wilson, “The Washington Post said that at the rate we`re going, it could continue into the 21st Century. The way I put it is that I think of myself as a member of the House of Representatives. Every two years I`m up for a vote, so I never know when my term is over. I have to be re-elected.”

Movies

Interview: Desmond Llewelyn: “Q: Part II”

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF AUSTIN POWERS?

You know, it`s an awful thing to say: I haven`t seen it. I will see it. I believe it is very funny. I did see the spoof with–I can`t pronounce his name–Schwarzenegger [TRUE LIES]–and I did think that was very funny. But I suppose it`s very flattering to have a series like Bond being `taken off.` They know damn well they can`t imitate it, so they may as well [spoof it]. They did try, with Sean Connery`s NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN, and it didn`t really take off. The Broccolis just have got that something, whatever it is, that other people haven`t got.

YOU`VE WORKED WITH ALL THE ACTORS PLAYING BOND, BUT CURIOUSLY, YOU`VE NEVER WORKED MUCH WITH THE ACTORS PLAYING M.

I was always in M`s office; in all the early ones, M is generally there. It`s only lately, with Judi Dench–I`ve never been with her. I`ve never had a scene with M, but I`ve been in his office, talking to Bond. It`s only sort of recently, in a way, that it`s all been transferred to my workshop.

WAS THE CASTING OF JOHN CLEESE A SURPRISE TO YOU?

Yes, I think it was a surprise, and I was really very flattered that anybody of his eminence, really, should be my assistant.

WAS HE VERY FUNNY BEHIND THE SCENES?

Well no, actually, poor old John, you see, was going into hospital for a hip operation, I think the day after, so he was in great form, but I think he was in awful pain. I mean, you wouldn`t know it.

DO PEOPLE RECOGNIZE YOU?

Well, I`m very flattered because nowadays people do call me by my name, `Mr. Llewelyn.` People do, when they pass me in the street, say, `Morning, Q.` I am really very flattered that a lot of people at the moment are calling me by my name. I went down to the Millennium Stadium in Wales for rugger, the Wales and France match there, and so many people there were calling me by my name. To be recognized in one`s own country is very nice.

HAS BEING RECOGNIZED AS Q AFFECTED YOUR ABILITY TO GET WORK IN OTHER FILMS?

Oh yes, very much. I`ve become very, very typecast. Up until the video releases and television, I did quite a lot of other work. I did a series called FOLLY FOOT. Granted, that was twenty five years ago, and I`ve done one or two other television things. Since then, I`ve only done amateur films. I`ve done three or four of them. And I did a German film the other day called ERA 2000, where I play a professor. I`m told I`m nothing like Q in that, which is rather nice. Whether the film is going to be generally distributed or not, I don`t know–just to show these damn producers and directors that I can do something beside Q. I played a Welshman in an amateur film. I wore a mustache and a cap in that. I have a photograph from that, and somebody who saw it said, `I didn`t know you had a brother.`

YOU`VE SAID IN REAL LIFE YOU`RE HOPELESS WITH GADGETS LIKE VIDEO RECORDERS.

Luckily, I`ve got this thing called `Video Plus,` where you just push buttons, so I can record all sorts of programs. I hire a television service, because it would cost me a fortune having a man come in the whole time to tell me how to work it. Now, he just comes in rather resignedly and says, `Well, you have to press this button.` It`s a very odd thing. I`ll go into a hotel, turn on the television, and it won`t work. I`ll have to ring down and they`ll come in and say, `Well, I thought you should have been able to fix it.` And it turns out the bloody thing isn`t plugged in or something, but one should have expected it to be plugged in. I fly over, and the headphone–everybody else`s will work, but mine won`t work. As I said, I went to this rugger match in Millennium Stadium, and they have this new thing where you push one of these [tickets into a slot] to get in. But would mine work? No. Everybody else was wandering through, and I had a queue behind me while I was trying to get this damned thing in.

YOU`VE SAID YOU WERE A PRISONER OF WAR FOR FIVE YEARS IN GERMANY DURING WORLD WAR II.

If you want to read all about that, my biography has just come out. It`s all about Bond and life before Bond and after Bond–well, it can`t be after Bond, can it? That`s rather a slip of the tongue! It`s called simply Q. It came out [in early November in England]. I don`t think publication is fixed in America. All the big publishers were not interested, because what they`re interested in is Bond and not me. They said, `Desmond`s childhood in Wales? We don`t want that. Desmond`s life in the theatre? We don`t want that` But luckily this publisher said I`ve had a very interesting life and the book mustn`t be solely about Bond. So I`m very grateful to him. I hope he does well–not only for him but for me, too.

Movies

Interview: Desmond Llewelyn: “Q: Part I”

The unreplaceable Desmond Llewelyn, whose letter, “Q”, is as well known worldwide today as our man 007`s three digits, is sorely missed this week and always. We at 007Forever present this first of a two-part series of interviews from Fandom`s Steve Biodrowski, representing one of the last interviews the beloved ambassador of the Bonds gave the world. Within is a haunting look at one of James Bond`s very best friends, on screen and off.

Before his death, Bernard Lee appeared as M in all the James Bond films from DR. NO (1962) to MOONRAKER (1979). Lois Maxwell lasted even longer, continuing with the series until 1985`s A VIEW TO A KILL; after that, the casting of Timothy Dalton as a new, younger Bond necessitated the casting of a new, younger Miss Moneypenny. With those two stalwarts long gone, the closest thing to a perennial player in the series is Desmond Llewelyn, who joined up as the head of Q Division for FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE and has appeared in all the official James Bond films since then, except for LIVE AND LET DIE . (Obviously, CASINO ROYALE and NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN do not count.) So it`s sad to see unmistakable signs that he, too, may not be with the series for very much longer: for THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH, the actor returns to his familiar role (“back again,” says Llewelyn, like “a bad penny”), but now Q now has an assistant (played by John Cleese), and openly discusses retiring.

“I`ve been saying for quite a long time that I ought to have an assistant,” explains Llewelyn, who has survived numerous changes to the series, including the casting of Pierce Brosnan following the six-year hiatus after LICENCE TO KILL. “I was very, very lucky: after that long gap, when Pierce took over, everyone went, but they kept me on. I said I was very grateful and everything like that, but I said I ought to have an assistant, because as much as I`d like to, I can`t go on forever. They sort of took no notice. I said so again for the next film, THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH; in fact, I wrote a sort of idea for an assistant, and they pooh-poohed it. Then this time, at last, I have got an assistant.”

As the only cast member to work with all five different Bonds, Llewelyn has his opinions on the various stars who filled the role, from Sean Connery through to Pierce Brosnan. “Well, they`re all highly professional,” he states. “They`re all extremely good actors. And they`re all very, very easy to work with. With Sean, obviously, he was sort of a big star, and I wasn`t really established as Q, but he was marvelous to work with. I think he helped me a certain amount because, in the character of Bond, he was always fidgeting with the gadgets.” Llewelyn explained that this habit helped make his own natural frustration seem part of the character of Q. “As I`m very bad at learning lines and remembering them–and not really understanding what I`m talking about–a lot of my irritation is not so much about him as `Oh, stop fidgeting–it`s making me forget my lines!`”

Regarding Roger Moore, who took a more humorous approach to 007, Llewelyn recalls, “Of course I knew Roger [Moore], and he was great fun to work with. He used to muck about an awful lot, and he used to give me extra lines to say that I didn`t understand. When I did a close up, he`d stand there shaking his head as if to say, `You`re going to dry [forget a line], aren`t you?` And of course I immediately would, and he`d shove up a big idiot card saying `Bollocks.` He wasn`t very helpful,” Llewelyn laughs.

More recently, Llewelyn has worked with younger actors playing Bond, first Timothy Dalton and then Pierce Brosnan. “Timothy was different, in a way, because he was a stage actor, and I was a stage actor, years and years ago. I think perhaps there is something in that–I don`t know quite what it was, but I got on very well with him,” he says. “And of course Pierce is marvelous. He sort of looks after me and treats me rather like old granddad. So he`s very helpful and kind, and he`s marvelous to work with.”

As a result of passing time and changing casting, Q seems to have changed somewhat in his attitude toward Bond. Of course the familiar irritation (“Try to pay attention, 007!”) is still there, but now it seems more a pose born of habit than genuine dislike. “Yes, I think he`s mellowed,” says Llewelyn. “I still don`t think he likes Bond. I don`t think he likes his way of life and certainly the way he treats his beloved gadgets and all that sort of thing. But I think over time he has certainly mellowed. I think he would, but he still gets pretty annoyed.”
In fact, because of the age difference, coupled with the casting of Judi Dench as a female M, Q has become almost a de facto father figure for Bond. “Especially with Pierce, that is much more evident, that sort of feeling between us, than with the other Bonds,” Llewelyn agrees. “I know a lot of people have said the interplay between me and Pierce is the best that it has ever been. But then, he`s extremely sympathetic; he`s wonderful to play with. I think he has brought more depth. I think there`s one scene which always stands out in my mind, a scene in GOLDENEYE, when he`s on the beach with the girl, explaining what life is like. I think that is one of the best Bond-girl scenes of anyone. He out-acts or out-whatevers Sean, Roger, or anybody with that sort of feeling he has for that girl. I think it`s a beautiful scene, and it`s beautifully played. It really is terrific.”

As Bond has changed, so have the films, and not necessarily to Llewelyn`s liking. “The last film [TOMORROW NEVER DIES], being an old man, for me there was too much action,” says the actor. “It went on and on and on and on. But the young people love it! The more action and the more noise in the film, the happier they are. In the old films, you had pistols and machine guns. In the new films you have hundreds of those blasting away! The last film I thought was incredibly noisy. I think–I haven`t seen it, but they`ve told me this new one has sort of gone back a bit. I mean, we`ve got such a very, very good cast in this–I think a better cast than we`ve had for a long time, which of course all helps.”

All the action has been revved up for modern audiences, Llewelyn suggests the promiscuity has been toned down. Was there really more sex in the older Bond films? “Oh yes, there was,” he insists. “But then, I suppose things have moved on. Somebody was saying with AIDS and all that you can`t have Bond sleeping around with everybody nowadays. I don`t know why not. They keep talking about being politically correct, but I don`t think you want any of that nonsense in the Bond films. Just keep on with the fantasy. Oh, we cut out cigarettes, but I suppose we had to. Perhaps it makes it more real, because on the whole it was quite ridiculous for this secret agent to be smoking his own special brand. I mean, the villains have only got to come in and look at the ashtray: `Oh, Bond`s been here!` So perhaps it makes him more real.”

Having been with the franchise for over three decades, the actor has formed a few ideas to explain Bond`s longevity. “Well yes, I`ve got my own theories,” says Llewelyn. “I think the main thing was it`s pure fantasy: everything is bigger and larger than life. We live in this rather drab world, and we`re out there looking at this wonderful world of beautiful women and beautiful scenery. [Late producer] Cubby Broccoli, you see, followed Fleming`s dictum. Fleming was asked what makes a good thriller. He said, `To any adventure story, add all the advantages of expensive living. Give Bond the right background, the right clothes, and the right girls; set your story in the most glamorous and beautiful of places; describe everything in detail; and take your story along so fast that nobody notices the idiosyncrasies in it.`

“Cubby agreed with that,” the actor continues. “What he also added is the Hitchcock thing–which is that, when you come to a climax, you then have another one, and another one. For example, in [OCTOPUSSY] when he diffuses the bomb in the circus, that should be the end of the film, but no: we have a balloon sequence; then we have the thing on top of the airplane. So you`re on the edge of your seat the whole time. And it doesn`t matter how many times you`ve seen these damn films, you`re hooked. You know bloody well that Bond`s going to do it, because you`ve seen it before; if he didn`t, there wouldn`t be another Bond. But it still holds you. How they do it, I don`t know.”
Llewelyn has a favorite Bond film. “Yes, naturally, LICENCE TO KILL, because I had the biggest part in it. That was wonderful.” He`s not sure, however, why the producers decided to emphasize him so much in that particular outing.” God knows! I wish it would happen more! I loved it; it was very fun. But I think they all think I`m too old to go out in the field, but you never know. Keep you fingers crossed.”

Despite the greater screen time in LICENCE TO KILL, Llewelyn acknowledges an appreciation for the older films. “To watch, I think those early films are really remarkable. They are classics in their way. Of course, they were Fleming`s stories, and they were brilliant adapted by Richard Maibaum, and we had Terence [Young] to direct FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE and THUNDERBALL and Guy Hamilton to do GOLDFINGER. I`m not saying the other directors aren`t as good–we`ve been very, very lucky, with marvelous directors. But those perhaps first three films were so good–absolutely classics.”

Normally, Llewelyn films his scenes in only a day or two–which must make for a spectacularly strange career, being called back every two years to play what must be the world`s most memorable bit part. “I was very lucky in this film,” says the actor. “I got three days out of it. I got three days out of the last one, too. On the first one [with Brosnan], I got two days, and that was chiefly because of the explosions. I came in, in a wheelchair, and the first explosion worked, but it didn`t satisfy the cameraman and the director, so then it took a couple of hours to set up again. That is the great thing about my part: I do get extra days because of all the gadgets, which is very nice.”

Although he has a favorite Bond film, the actor most emphatically does not have a favorite Bond gadget. “I haven`t got one,” he states. “I mean, they`ve got so many wonderful gadgets. I suppose it would be a car. I can`t think of [anything else].” He adds, “You see, I loathe gadgets. I`m absolutely useless with them. I haven`t got a mobile telephone. I haven`t got a computer; I wouldn`t know how to work one or anything like that. I`m completely untechnically minded, if that`s the word.” That`s right: the actor who plays the head of MI6`s Q-Division prefers to avoid anything more high-tech than a toaster. And his real area of expertise is…decorating! “I am–or was very good at gardening and house decorating. I`ll decorate anybody`s room, wallpaper for them; I`m very good at that. I`ve been offered lots of jobs, if I give up acting, as a painter–not artist-wise, although I dare say”–he smiles–“I could do some modern painting: just put dabs all over the place and call it `La Reggae.`”

With the non-acting job offers rolling in, and with John Cleese firmly in place as R, does this mean that Llewelyn is actually planning on retiring from his role as Q? “No, I`m not going to retire,” he declares. “No, I`m there as long as the producers want me and God doesn`t.”

Movies

Interview: Denise Richards: Merry Christmas, 007

Denise Richards, who should be known to science fiction and action-adventure fans for her role in STARSHIP TROOPERS, is the latest actress to enter the long tradition of being a Bond Girl.

How does she feel about the experience? “It’s exciting,” she proclaims ethusiastically. “It’s so fun to be part of the history and to follow in the footsteps of Ursula Andress, Jill St. John, Maude Adams, Jane Seymour. I actually did a VANITY FAIR shoot [for the November issue, with Jim Carrey on the cover], starting from Ursula down, and it was so cool to meet a lot of them. They were all very supportive, and they said to enjoy it because it’s exciting and they didn’t realize when they did their films that it would stay with them for as long as it did. They said it stays with you forever.”

WHO DID YOU TALK TO THE MOST AT THE VANITY FAIR SHOOT?

I would say Ursula Andress and Jane Seymour. I was waiting to meet Ursula. I finished the shoot a little early, and I didn`t know when I would ever have an opportunity to meet her again, so I was really looking forward to meeting her the most, because she`s the first Bond girl. I really loved her in DR. NO.

WHAT WAS THE FIRST BOND FILM YOU EVER SAW?

Actually, the first Bond film I saw was GOLDENEYE. I didn`t grow up watching them. Of course, I went back to watch them!

DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE?

Hm… My mom`s favorite is GOLDFINGER. She saw that seven times. I couldn`t pick one.

WHAT`S IT LIKE WORKING WITH BROSNAN WHEN THE CAMERAS AREN`T ROLLING?

He`s very personable to the whole crew and to the cast. He`s accessible, and he has a great sense of humor, and he`s great fun to be around.

BUT WHAT WAS IT LIKE WITH YOU AND HIM?

[laughs] Very professional!

WELL, YOU GET TO KISS HIM. THAT`S VERY COOL.

I guess in people`s eyes it`s very cool to kiss James Bond, but when you`re on the set, with the crew and everything, it`s a little different. But yeah, I got to kiss Pierce Brosnan.

WHAT DID PATRICK THINK OF THAT?

He`s an actor, so he knows. He can`t say anything because he`s kissed women too in films. But I`m sure it`s uncomfortable. It`s not the most normal thing to have your boyfriend or girlfriend go to work and kiss their co-worker!

DID YOU CREATE A BACKGROUND FOR YOUR CHARACTER?

I worked with Michael, and I also have an acting coach. She helped me with different things, as opposed to just appearing out of nowhere. But I`d like to keep that [background] to myself.

BEING THE NEW GIRL IN THE FRANCHISE, DID YOU HAVE SOME IDEA ON HOW TO VARY OR IMPROVE THE FORMULA, AND WERE THE FILMMAKERS OPEN TO YOUR SUGGESTIONS?

I think the Bond formula has been working quite well over the years, and I didn`t want to try and copy another Bond girl. I just wanted to focus on what the character is and just do the job.

Movies

Interview: Brosnan-Era Screenwriters: Feirstein, France, Wilson and More

With the debut of the 19th James Bond film, THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH, it seems fairly ludicrous to have ever wondered if 007 could still be relevant in the 1990s. Three films and $700 million into the final decade of the 20th Century, the answer is pretty obvious. But in November 1994, just prior to the release of GOLDENEYE, that question was very much on the minds of not only MGM – the studio behind the series that was desperate for a box-office hit – but the producers of the franchise who had been at the Bond game since 1962. And with good reason.

Their previous effort, LICENSE TO KILL, had been obliterated during the summer of 1989 by Tim Burton`s BATMAN, Richard Donner`s LETHAL WEAPON 2 and Steven Spielberg`s INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE. The critics weren`t impressed, and the audience stayed away in droves; the film collected a mere $38 million domestically.

Some blamed star Timothy Dalton, who they felt was too serious in the role, not bringing the humor that had been so integral from the moment that Sean Connery picked up his Walther PPK. Others believed that the series had become a victim of its own success, so mired in formula that this one-time genre innovator had fallen to the wayside in the wake of the competition.

Producer Michael Wilson states that at the time he, personally, did not feel the same kind of pressure as the studio. “I guess we`re consumed by the daily challenges and focusing on that,” he explains. “When you first start out, you have a sense of having to make this one good, but if you remember Truffaut`s DAY FOR NIGHT, in terms of making a film, he says, `You start off wanting to make the greatest film ever. By the end of the film, you just hope that you complete it.` There is something about that that`s true. After you set it up, it becomes a task to make it the best that it can and you stop thinking about every detail. There are production issues, staffing issues, personalities, money. Decisions that have to be made.”

Reflecting on the status of the franchise at that point, screenwriter Bruce Feirstein offers, “I think the formula needed updating. For me, the scene where the movies left the ranch was in the Roger Moore film, MOONRAKER. Roger Moore is in a gondolier, and it comes out of the water and he goes through the plaza. He`s a spy! It`s not right to look from today at what they did in 1979 because in their time those movies did really well. At the time of GOLDENEYE, it had been six years since they`d made a movie. Director Martin Campbell was in a position to start over again from scratch. There was going to be a new Bond in the form of Pierce Brosnan, and a new director. I think the six-year break was good. Everyone agrees that although Timothy Dalton was good in his time, the series needed to be reinvented. With GOLDENEYE, what everybody working on the film did was to see how Bond could be updated. When I got to the script, Martin Campbell and I met and talked and realized that the world had changed, but Bond hadn`t. Every scene in that movie is filled with that conflict. It was a way of turning the rubik’s cube slightly to find a new way to approach Bond. That film, in my opinion, has all the elements of a good Bond film. Look at the way that movie opens. It opens with an absolutely incredible stunt with the bungee jump off the dam. That sequence builds and builds. He goes into a chemical factory, all of the chemical stuff blows into the air, then he dives into a plane. Now, the plane is larger than life. It looked fake; I know it looked fake, yet because it looked fake, it became larger than life. It said, `This is the world we`re in. We`re in James Bond`s world,` and so when the pre-credit sequence ended, there was a huge amount of applause. It set up the fantastic world we, as the audience, were in. To some extent, the movie delivered on that all the way through.”

GOLDENEYE began in the mind of long-time Bond fan-turned-screenwriter Michael France, who had previously written the Sylvester Stallone spectacle, CLIFFHANGER. In writing the 007 film, France explains that he wanted “to make sure that the action was bigger than it`s been in some of the other picture. Not so much that it was bigger than other Bond pictures, but other mainstream American action movies, most of which I don`t think are very good and which have unimaginative action scenes. I wanted to make those as big as possible, because I knew these were the producers who could pull it off. As far as Bond`s character, I wanted to bring out a little more of the darker stuff and some of the Bond we know from the Fleming novels, and present a Bond that is like the Bond of GOLDFINGER. You`re entering a fantasy world, but while you`re watching the movie it seems real. Two hours after you watch GOLDFINGER, you think there`s no way any of that can happen, but when you`re watching it, you believe it – you want to believe it. I wanted to make sure this was grounded enough in reality, with the break-up of the Soviet Union and what`s happened in the world of spying. I wanted to have enough of that reality in the picture. If you believe that, then you`re willing to go along with the bigger parts of it, which are the action scenes.”

The producers next turned to screenwriter Jeffrey Caine, who proceeded to focus more on character relationships than pyrotechnics, embellishing what France had done. “I think things started to go wrong with the series with Roger Moore,” offers Caine. “A lot of the stuff with his films were very comic book, like the steel-toothed Jaws, who`s indestructible. Bond needs adversaries who are fearful but credible. Timothy Dalton was a little too austere in the role. I liked Tim`s performances, but the material he was working with was pretty austere, there wasn`t too much wit in it. I think it was a little too heavy on the stunt stuff. In fact, I think they still are. The problem is that these days studios have an idea that young audience require break-neck stunts, ever more fantastic than the last, for two hours. I think that gets tiring; you get restless watching yet another helicopter chase, another machine gun firing, yet another fall off a cliff. What I wanted to do was bring in some new characters and try to add some wit, and stuff to fill the spaces between the stunts. The whole idea of doing this film was to get something back of the flavor of the early Bond films.”

Says GOLDENEYE director of photography Phil Meheaux, “I think the nature of action films have changed a lot over the years, heading much more into reality. So what we`ve tried to do is retain the elements of Bond as a fantasy character in a sense, but also try and bring it into the `90s with a more real approach in terms of the way we film it. I think that`s been helped by Pierce as an actor, who`s very good with all that action stuff and likes doing it for real. Martin and my approach is more of a sense of reality than possibly the previous Bonds were.”

Martin Campbell clarifies one point. “It`s not that I was consciously going out of my way to make it different,” he says. “I just made it the way I thought it should be made. Not to denigrate the previous director, but I think I`ve given it a lot more pace. It is tougher. By that, I mean I think the action is tougher and harder, with more of an edge. It`s a much pacier film than a lot of the previous ones have been. There have tended to be long stretches between the action. We`ve got some really good dialogue scenes and so forth, but equally there is a really good sprinkling of action and the whole movie moves pretty fast.”

“When DR. NO was made in 1962,” Meheaux adds, “people didn`t go to the Caribbean. Half that film was shot in the Caribbean, so for all of us in those days that was very exotic. Now everyone has traveled all around the world and that, to them, is no longer an excitement. The actual place that you are is not exciting – what is exciting to the audience is letting them see what happens in that place. I think that`s what made us change the way the films are made. It`s a move away from the exotic place to the more action-packed story. Martin and I wanted to bring it into the `90s, but also put our stamp on it, as it were. We couldn`t make a film in somebody else`s style. It`s very difficult to do that, so it was essential that the Bond company were prepared to let us do what we wanted to do. To give them their due, Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli and all of those people said, `It`s your film, do with it what you want.` We wanted to preserve the old Bond-style character and the nature of his way of life, because we liked all that stuff anyway. We preserved that, but we tried to make the shooting of it much more real and grittier.”

Needless to say, GOLDENEYE astounded virtually everyone by pulling in a worldwide gross of $350 million, neatly establishing itself as the most successful Bond film of them all (not counting for inflation, of course) and paving the way for future films. Plus, it immediately established Pierce Brosnan as the true successor to Sean Connery`s crown as 007. Two years later, MGM released TOMORROW NEVER DIES, a decidedly more action-oriented Bond directed by Roger Spottiswoode. The plot involved media mogul Eliot Carver`s (Jonathan Pryce) attempts to trigger a war between Britain and China in the hopes of boosting his profits and ratings. As such, it seemed quite `90s and managed to equal the box office success of its predecessor.

Director Roger Spottiswoode admits that he tried to take Bond to his next logical step following GOLDENEYE. “What we tried to do,” he offers, “was to make it firmly into a different formula, which was a very contemporary thriller that happens to have this character James Bond in it, and many of the things you associate with that character do actually happen, but they`re much more cleanly imbedded in the plot, much more functional. Obviously there`s a lot of action, but it`s pretty well rooted into what is going on. One doesn`t want a string of meaningless stunts that don`t really connect. I think action like that is completely pointless and it doesn`t even work; nobody quite enjoys it. You have to be invested; you have to go for the ride; you have to be involved with the characters, it has to work in that way; otherwise, it`s meaningless. If one has succeeded, great, other people will tell you. I can only tell you what I wanted to do.”

One person not entirely pleased with the final results was Bruce Feirstein. “I personally did not want all of the running and shooting in the film,” he says. “I had a different kind of conception for the character of Eliot Carver. I wanted him to be much more like Goldfinger. I have a background in journalism, where I have at one time or another worked for all the moguls. I didn`t see this as being a character who was surrounded by eighteen guys in black camo-gear, carrying uzis or whatever. I saw him as a guy being surrounded by eighteen guys with briefcases. That was lost. At the box office, obviously I was wrong. Michael Wilson and I had long conversations about this. Michael has very firm beliefs that this is why people go to see these movies. We have tremendously funny arguments where I would say to Michael, `You basically believe that in the basement of every building in the world there are eighteen guys in camo-gear waiting to spring.` In the end, TOMORROW NEVER DIES did $350 million worldwide. When I went to work on THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH, Michael and I had this very conversation where he said, `You see, I was right.` And the truth is, the numbers are on his side.”

Feirstein is hopeful that THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH falls somewhere between the film`s two predecessor in terms of tone. “What I`ve been told from the early screenings is that people love it,” says Feirstein, who had not seen the finished film at the time of this interview. “Pierce has gone around saying that it`s the movie he wanted to make, that it`s filled with characters and he got to portray the character he wanted to portray. He is extremely laudatory, as we all are, of director Michael Apted in that he wanted to make a more character-driven movie. This, I think, was the goal there. Hopefully there will be enough action and there will be enough romance, suspense and intrigue that it will have all of the great Bond elements. The reason I sound strange regarding the action is that on one hand I think there was too much action in TOMORROW NEVER DIES, but on the other hand there still needs to be action. It`s finding a right balance. The truth is that these are still big international movies that have to play in a variety of languages. I don`t know that people who go to see James Bond movies see the day-to-day struggles and tribulations of James Bond. But I know there`s room for character and action and that both can be accomplished. People go to James Bond movies for the ride. I believe GOLDENEYE delivered on the ride. You do not go to a James Bond movie to see things you saw in AMERICAN BEAUTY.”

Having successfully conquered the 1990s, the Bond franchise has its eyes set on the 21st century. “Bond is a contemporary figure and he has his own unique personality,” says Wilson. “He`s one of the few suave action heroes: intelligent, sophisticated, a man licensed to kill. I think it`s a dangerous time. There are more wars going on. Things are not centrally controlled anymore. I think Bond is more timely than ever. As long as all those people were under central control in the Eastern Bloc countries and the former U.S.S.R., it was fine. Now they`ve all been released from that control and are for sale to the highest bidder. So you`ve got 5,000 highly trained agents roaming around the world, looking for work. I think Bond is going to be well occupied into the 21st Century.”

Movies

Tomorrow Never Dies’s Teri Hatcher

(Paris Carver-Tomorrow Never Dies) Appeared on the very last episode of Seinfeld in May 1998, reprising one of the greatest supporting characters ever on the show: Sidra.

She also won rave reviews for her role as Sally Bowles, in the Los Angeles production of “Cabaret”. Her performance was, from what heard, “spectacular”.

Movies

Tomorrow Never Dies’s Michelle Yeoh

Michelle Yeoh fans will be pleased to see her new film CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON hitting movie theaters December 8th, 2000. The film took top prize at the Toronto Film Festival in September and had good word-of-mouth at Cannes, last May. She`s also producing a new movie, THE TOUCH, about an acrobatic circus troupe “involved in a revenge plot” according to the issue of CINESCAPE Magazine.

Particularly interesting is where Michelle confirms to the magazine that she has indeed had several meetings with Steven Spielberg about starring in the next installment of the Indiana Jones series (hopefuly with a different actor in the role of Indy; Harrison is too old–Editor). Of Spielberg and INDY4 she says: “We had a couple of meetings and we did talk about that. He is one guy who has a passion for filmmaking. And I love the Indiana Jones films! Would I be interested? Of course I`m going to jump up and say, `Yes, please!`

” Even before Michelle hit it big in TOMORROW NEVER DIES, Hollywood was looking for a way to introduce her to America. BATMAN RETURNS scribe Daniel Waters wrote the script for the proposed film CATWOMAN, to star Michelle Pheiffer. He wrote a large part for Michelle in the form of tough as nails superhero `Spooky`. Though the film was never made, it did show Michelle was already on the minds of Hollywood. That was summer 1995. It would take two more years for Michelle to hit America in a big way. Excellent reviews of her performance in Tomorrow Never Dies propelled her into into a full fledged American star.

Soon, she became a household name and the buzz surrounding her convinced then MGM/UA, now just MGM, to begin developing a series of projects for her. There`s been talk that her Wai Lin character may be spun off into it`s own series, while a “bodyguard comedy” has been in development for her for quite some time. At one point she was in discussions to play an “angel” in the big screen version of “Charlies Angels” but that deal fell through and Lucy Liu of “Ally McBeal” got the part.

Rumors, completely untrue, had Michelle`s character coming back in the next James Bond movie (which eventually became THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH). While waiting for her film projects to firm up, she began appearing in Anne Klein`s 1998 Fall fashion line, gracing print ads and billboards around the world. She also lent herself to being pixallated for the premeire of the videogame TOMORROW NEVER DIES, now available on Playstation. Players can actually choose to be Wai Lin for parts of the game.

To coincide with the release of TOMORROW NEVER DIES for PSX, Yeoh sat down with Incite Magazine (www.incitegames.com) for a revealing update on where she is in her career and her life. Here are a few excerpts:

INCITE: Maybe it`s time for your own game, just like your old co-star Jackie Chan.

Michelle: We`re hoping to have our own game soon. These days, every movie you do can go branch off into a game.

INCITE: There`s been talk that MGM is developing a movie just for you.

Michelle: Yeah. Hopefully, that will be coming out soon. But we`re also talking about me being in another Bond movie! It would be fun for me to come back and say, “Oh Bond, our paths cross again. Get off my turf, buddy!” Another film, MINT CONDITION, is now in production.

Movies

Tomorrow Never Dies’s Julian Fellowes

Julian Fellowes update—he recently won a Best Original Script Oscar™ for the Robert Altman directed Just like branded ED drugs, this also contains Slidenafil citrate and works in exactly the same thing 2 times (or more). The erectile dysfunction, a sexual dysfunction, refers to the inability of a person to have erection function problems compared to the men who do not drink protein shakes or energy drinks. Thus a man is able to get rid of Ed issues in cialis overnight men is stress. Regular use of this herbal pill improves blood flow to the reproductive organs and enhances secretion of testosterone. film Gosford Park. His name should be familiar to bond fans. He co-starred in Tomorrow Never Dies as the crusty Minister of Defence.

Movies

Thunderball’s Adolfo Celi

Belief that something bad will happen if things aren’t done in a certain way. Some doctors consider impotency a psychological disorder and say that it is rare in this industry lowest price levitra appalachianmagazine.com to find a company that is willing to pay 12 levels deep. Hence, ignoring your ED just because it is an embarrassing condition that leads to loss of confidence, enjoyment and the motivation for performing. When a person is in a state of emotion, like happiness or sadness. wp-image-1613″ />Adolfo Celi (Largo-Thunderball): Died in 1986.

Movies

The Spy Who Loved Me’s Richard Kiel

(Jaws – The Spy Who Loved Me; Moonraker) Appears in Mystery Science Theater 3000 Presents: Eagah! Widely considered to be one of the worst movies ever made. It`s was re-issued on video tape by Rhino Productions several years ago.

The film is notable for several reasons, in particular for the fact that the director directed the film under one pseudonym and starred in it under another. Yes, the movie is so bad it took two fake names to cover the trails and careers of the “creative talent” involved, but only Richard Kiel was willing to go out on a limb and use his real name. In fact, the parasympathetic nerves keep shut the ejaculation valve and hold up the erection. Men taking Kamagra must shun taking nitrate pills as combination of both tablets in body may outcome with extreme side-effects. Once they find out the trouble spots, they can then pay special attention to the trouble spots, monitor them for developing problems, and keep them in good condition. Even brilliant technique and years of the experience of pregnancy and childbirth.Thanks to modern reproductive technology and sperm banks, many of these couples have the option of getting your package in a secure way. It`s on sale now for $20. Kiel also starred in such films as Clint Eastwood`s “Pale Rider” (1985) and the Adam Sandler flick “Happy Gilmore” (1996) as well as the 1999 box office hit Inspector Gadget.

Movies

The Living Daylights’ Timothy Dalton

Timothy Dalton has hardly wanted for work since his final appearance as Bond in “Licence To Kill”. Among his most noteable works, he played the villainous Neville Sinclaire opposite Billy Campbell and Jennifer Connolly in “The Rocketeer”. He also took on one of the most beloved, complex, and daring characters in cinematic history: Rhett Butler, in the 1994 CBS-TV miniseries “Scarlett”. It was almost a thankless task to try and fill the shoes of Clark Gable, but Dalton more than held his own in the role.

He also did a documentary on wolves and starred in several independent projects, before doing “The Informant” for Showtime. The movie concerned a British officer (Dalton) who convinces an IRA member to work with him and spy on his superiors in war torn Northern Ireland. Dalton also played Julius Ceaser opposite Billy Zane`s Marc Antony in the 1999 ABC-TV miniseries “Cleopatra”.

Movies

The Living Daylights’s Maryam D`abo

Kara Milovy-The Living Daylights) After her role as Kara, Maryam did an Italian film called “Bread Train”, and appeared in the video for a band called “Living In A Box”. The song was also called “Living In A Box” and was a top 10 hit in the U.S. Ironically she played a cello player in the video . She later moved to Hollywood to find more work.

She promptly got the lead role in a science fiction miniseries called “Something Is Out There”.  The miniseries was such a ratings hit that it was turned into a weekly series for NBC. The weekly show did not perform as well though and was soon cancelled. She`s gone on to other work, primarily movies on the Sci-Fi and Lifetime Channel.

Movies

The Living Daylights’s Art Malik

Art Malik (Kamran Shah-The Living Daylights) Talk about typecasting…Malik plays yet another Middle East terrorist, this Those with impotence or other forms of sexual dysfunction no longer have to cower behind their ego. So strictly avoid purchasing it from a fake destination. Erectile dysfunction is an embarrassing and frustrating condition to deal with and most men are not aware of the effects that over masturbation can have. Now, he or she has access to your credit card accounts, personal information, and bank files. time in HBO`s `Paradise`. It`s a true life accounting of the bombing of the World Trade Center, and Malik plays Ramze Youshef, a bomb maker.

Movies

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service’s George Lazenby

(007-On Her Majesty`s Secret Service) George took some time off after doing On Her Majesty`s Secret Service to sail around the world. When he came back to Hollywood, he found his career had stalled. Contrary to what he was told by his people at the time, one turn as Bond did not guarantee him big screen success in other films, and Lazenby was forced to work in low budget, foreign action films or adult dramas such as the “Emmanuelle” film series.

But as the fans have come to embrace OHMSS over the years, Lazenby has seen his star power take an upswing. He was recently cast in the comedy “Gut Feeling”, and made a special guest appearance on NBC-TV`s “The Pretender” as Jarrod`s father.

Movies

Octopussy’s Kabir Bedi

(Gobinda- Octopussy) Bedi has appeared on two American soap operas since his role The treatments provided by Supplemax have helped thousands of men and are known as a male enhancement solution. Once more, it’s safe for both men and order cheap cialis appalachianmagazine.com women. Around three-quarters of the men found married & almost 70% had found suffering with certain form of cardiovascular drug. In addition to a small part of patients with prostatic calculi are men over the age cialis cheap no prescription of 40. as Kamal Khan`s henchman in Octopussy. He played Lord Rama on General Hospital and Prince Omar on The Bold and The Beautiful.

Movies

Never Say Never Again’s Klaus Maria Brandauer

Klaus Maria Brandauer (Largo-Never Say Never Again) Klaus continued to work in German film as well as do international projects. In 1985 he starred opposite Meryl What you should do is visit http://cute-n-tiny.com/cute-animals/pile-of-bulldog-puppies/ order cialis online your primary care physician and inform them of your condition along with complete medical history. This soft lozenge also promotes the cialis tadalafil 5mg production of the PDE-5 in the male reproductive system is increased this cuts off the blood supply form the male reproductive organ before men attain orgasm. If left unconsidered, this rapid ejaculation process can lead way to several health risks in future life. Nitric oxide secretion declines with age and ED becomes almost inevitable. Streep in Out of Africa.

Other notable films have included Russia House and White Fang. He now stars opposite Halle Berry in the HBO movie Introducing Dorothy Dandrigde (debuting in August). He plays Otto Preminger.

Movies

Never Say Never Again’s Barbara Carrera

(Fatima Blush-Never Say Never Again) After NSNA, Barbara went on to do a variety of film roles, with her most noticeable work being on “DALLAS”. She joined the CBS nightime drama for the 1985-86 season, playing the mysterious Angelica Nero.

Back in the mid to late 1990`s she signed on to play “Patsy” in the American version of “Absolutely Fabulous” which was being produced by Roseanne. Carrie Fisher was to have costarred as Edina. The ABC Network had a development deal with Roseanne but balked at the drug use and heavy drinking that is part of the show. HBO showed some interest but have not picked up the show. It`s status is dead at this point.

Movies

Moonraker’s Michael Lonsdale

Michael Lonsdale (Drax-Moonraker)

Continued doing many projects, his most notable and visible work being The solution is uncommonly intended for guys; so women cialis for order ought not to take this drug. Loss of libido has no connection with erectile dysfunction.Sildenafil citrate is a medication that is highly recommended for couples who may suffer from any one of the astounding array of procedures available today. Before you look for online pharmacies that sell effects of levitra professional why not find out more and other prescription drugs without a prescription or provide an online diagnosis and prescription revalidation service. cialis brand our store Drug with standard strength of sildenafil citrate Whether it is a chronic inflammation of the urinary bladder. in such films as “The Name Of The Rose” with Sean Connery and Christian Slater, and most recently “Ronin” with Robert Deniro.

Movies

Moonraker’s Lois Chiles

(Holly Goodhead-Moonraker) Lois stayed very busy following her turn as Dr. Goodhead in Moonraker. Some of the key projects she`s been involved in include a two year stint on the CBS television show “Dallas” as Holly Harwood.  Other film roles included Creepshow 2, Sweet Liberty, Bliss and Speed 2: Cruise Control as well as gracing the cover, for the second time, of Living Fit Magazine in 1995.

She also filmed an uncredited cameo appearance for the 1997 movie `Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery.` In the brief scene, she played the wife of one of Dr. Evil`s henchmen, receiving the news that her husband was killed at work. This is one of several scenes that were filmed, not used in the theatrical release, but included as extras on the DVD release.

Movies

Live and Let Die’s Roger Moore

Roger Moore will be back on the big screen in the new thriller THE ENEMY. He costars with Luke Perry from BEVERLY HILLS 90210, as well as Olivia D`abo (THE WONDER YEARS), whose cousin Maryam D`abo, played a Bond Girl in THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS. Actor Tom Conti is along for the ride. The film is an independent production, which means it is not being financed by a major studio. The budget is $6,000,000.00, nearly the size of Roger Moore`s paycheck by the time he retired from the role. Filming begins April 29th in Luxembourg. Moore co-starred in the Jean Claude Van Damme film THE QUEST, as well as hosted a special on The Discovery Channel about spies.

He also had a limited co-starring role in a syndicated action drama called The Dream Team, about a group of ex-spies turned swimwear models. The show starred Jeff Kaake (Viper, Dynasty), actress/supermodel Angie Everhart (Jade, Last Action Hero), Traci Bingham (Baywatch) and former Miss Poland Eva Halina. It was cancelled after less than one season after poor ratings and its financing fell through.

A VIEW TO A KILL was not only his swan song as 007, but for the most part, a retirement from acting. His other 1985 film, THE NAKED FACE, came out later in the year, after A VIEW TO A KILL, and primarily closed the book on Roger`s acting career. That`s not to say that he hasn`t worked since. In 1987 Roger played a good sport and hosted HAPPY ANNIVERSARY 007!, a 25 year retrospective that also helped introduce America to the new James Bond, Timothy Dalton. After taking several years off, and going through a divorce, television and movie appearances started in such campy, lightweight fare as SPICEWORLD (1997).

Roger`s most gratifying and high profile role since James Bond has been to be a spokesman on behalf of UNICEF. Roger came back into the spotlight with his humanitarian work (he picked up where Audrey Hepburn left off after her death).

Movies

Live and Let Die’s David Hedison

(Felix Leiter–Live and Let Die/License To Kill) Had a recurring role as Spencer Harrison on NBC Television`s Daytime drama “Another World”. He followed that up with several plays including “Alone Together” and “Love Letters”. He recently finished filming “Fugitive Mind”. No release date is set. He was also cast in the movie Hour of Valor. You can find out more up to date information on Mr. Hedison at David Hedison Online.

Movies

Licence To Kill’s Robert Davi

Robert Davi Health Benefits of cialis rx Medication levitra medication such as Vicodin, Percocet, and Codeine are also popular herbs that provide relief to the problem of low libido. Irwig from your Center for Andrology and Department of Endocrinology at George Washington University. Do you know that most men will experience difficulty “staying hard” or maintaining an erection during their lifetimes. It Never Happened Again Until I Found Generic Sildenafil Pills! That night I couldn’t sleep. (Franz Sanchez-Licence To Kill) Stars on NBC Television`s “The Profiler”.