Dame Diana Rigg slams George Lazenby as 'stupid' and 'ghastly'

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Comments

  • Posts: 2,341
    Diana is a true professional and she was used to dealing with egos on set. I'm sure George was not the first and last A-hole she worked with.
  • Posts: 5,767
    George Lazenby, an unknown australian model, suddenly given the chance to play the biggest movie role on the planet, to replace the then superstar Sean Connery, is thrown in the spotlight, is given a contract the size of a phone book, acts like a total imbecile on set, bangs girls by the dozen, is offered a 7 movie deal as Bond, turns it down, announces he quits the role before the movie is released, turns up at the premiere with long hair and a beard, starts a career in asian kung-fu movie... Honestly, if a channel like HBO would adapt this, or Martin Scorsese in a 3-hour movie, it would simply be such an amazing story it would be tough to think it was true, even as a hardcore Bond fan. Lazenby's story is simply breathtaking.
    Cool idea with the 3h Scorsese movie :-bd !
    It was a good deal worse, apparently, and very unprofessional.
    Exactly, it was unprofessional, exactly what you would expect from a young dude who never acted and all of a sudden was thrown into the spotlight. I´m not saying he was an angel, but putting all the blame on him is a bit like blaming a five-year-old for driving the car into the ditch.

  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    Posts: 12,459
    I think his agent could be blamed with bad career advice, but his behavior was his own undoing. My opinion, of course.
  • 001001
    edited August 2014 Posts: 1,575
    He apparently chased M ,Bernard lee around when he was on a horse and lee was injured when he fell over.
  • Posts: 1,631
    Diana Rigg just doesn't care to be tactful any more. I'm all for being tactful, yet I find it hard to condemn her soundly for speaking her mind.

    I find it nearly impossible to condemn her for speaking her mind as well. I find it refreshing, actually, that she doesn't just stick to the usual cliched responses that actors generally use to avoid criticizing a co-star.

    I don't really think that it's up to her to protect Lazenby's reputation anyway. His actions on the set of OHMSS pretty much speak for themselves, and Diana Rigg is absolutely entitled to her opinion of what went down during the making of the film.

  • Ms Rigg is entitled to her comments of course, but for me, James Bond will always be the one and only George Lazenby (On Her Majesty's Secret Service). When I was "Bunny Deana" at the London Playboy Club, more than 40 years ago now, I was privileged to have been crowned Playboy Bunny of The Year by George, and I shall treasure the memory forever. The very precious (to me at least) photo of George performing the crowning, immaculately dressed in his beautiful Bond-style suit, is a proud part of my personal Bunny Deana's Playboy Photo Album online.
  • BennyBenny In the shadowsAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 14,882
    What a great story @BunnyDeana thanks for sharing it with us. I recently met George Lazenby at a convention and found him to be very pleasant and hospitable. I liked him immensely. Of course Dame Diana is entitled to her opinion.
  • ggl007ggl007 www.archivo007.com Spain, España
    Posts: 2,539
    BunnyDeana wrote: »
    Ms Rigg is entitled to her comments of course, but for me, James Bond will always be the one and only George Lazenby (On Her Majesty's Secret Service). When I was "Bunny Deana" at the London Playboy Club, more than 40 years ago now, I was privileged to have been crowned Playboy Bunny of The Year by George, and I shall treasure the memory forever. The very precious (to me at least) photo of George performing the crowning, immaculately dressed in his beautiful Bond-style suit, is a proud part of my personal Bunny Deana's Playboy Photo Album online.
    Great!
    Congratulations for that!! Indeed a treasure memory!
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 17,813
    Great to have you with us, @BunnyDeana. thanks for sharing your memories with us. Welcome to our community!
  • edited August 2014 Posts: 1,068
    It only seems right to share the photo you mention Deana - I hope you don't mind my posting it here for you from your fascinating website? It's quite a relevant photo here of all places anyway and seeing George in his 'stash is different!

    4E2A0FFC-2682-45E2-81C8-4CE03DB2E5ED.jpg

    Did George have much to say for himself with you or was it a mad blur and only seconds together for the photo?
  • ggl007ggl007 www.archivo007.com Spain, España
    Posts: 2,539
    Wow, what an amazing life: http://bunnydeana.com/

    You are really pretty! A Bond Girl, no doubt!
  • TokolosheTokoloshe Under your bed
    Posts: 2,667
    Nice to have you with us, Deana.

    Going back to the original topic, I saw the Sue Perkins interview with DR when it was on TV last week and thought it was all fairly light-hearted. They obviously didn't get along and I don't think she should have to make a secret of that nearly half a century later - we all know anyway! The comment about being glad when she was shot was hilarious :)
  • edited August 2014 Posts: 12,837
    That's a nice story and photo @BunnyDeana. You look gorgeous there.

    @Benny Good to hear that George is a nice bloke. What did you talk to him about?

    Anyway, I agree with the rest of you that Diana is entitled to her own opinion and everything, but publicly having a go at George almost 40 odd years later is harsh and uncalled for imo, it comes across as bitter and it's unprofessional, which ironically is what she's saying George was.
    He acted like a jumpy, hormone-riddled teenager, and was twice as immature. I just find him deluded and piggish, more worried about getting off with women than actually respecting them beyond that carnal garbage, and he thought he was hot stuff when he was only blowing smoke up his own chimney.

    As for Sean, I'm not saying he didn't act as promiscuous as George, but we also don't hear him bragging about it like Lazenby does, which makes him quite unpleasant. Plus, Sean Connery is Sean Connery, and at least had the style, presence and looks to really cement himself in his roles, like Bond

    No, he acted like any normal, young, single blokes would in his situation. He was famous, he was he was single and he made the most of it. Nothing wong with that.

    Yes Connery was an amazing James Bond and a much better actor than George (although I'd argue that George was closer to Flemings Bond and that he bought humanity and vulnerability that Connery never had) but that's not the point.

    The point is that you and others are having a go at George for shagging girls on set when Connery did the same, while married, which makes him far worse imo. George was single and famous and he made the most of it by sleeping around. Nothing wrong with that. Sean on the other hand cheated on his wife. And you say that George doesn't respect women? Yeah, and Sean "it's ok to hit them as long as it's not with a closed fist" is a fine example of a man who treats his women well isn't he?

    I just think there's some double standards on here. Yes George was unprofessional but Sean was guilty of some of the stuff that people are accusing George of (treating women badly for one thing), yet people seem to be giving him a pass because (in your words) "Sean Connery is Sean Connery". It's unfair and biased imo.
  • Posts: 1,068
    I feel the Sean womanising versus George discussion strays from the main point about George and his general demeanour and antics back in the day which Rigg is referring to here in her quote. It sounds very much like a lighthearted throw away line and just general banter. Context is everything with any quote.

    It is accepted (by George himself too) that he was a right jack the lad where the whole stardom situation must've gone to his head and Rigg will rightly have bristled at his arrogance and opportunism even back in the day as it seems others felt too. This most likely still goes on behind the scenes even today with many actors being real prima-donnas with ludicrous caveats in their contracts etc. I feel there's a strong case of George's agent giving him poor guidance.bbh

    If stories are true, Rigg didn't exactly hold back herself as far as intimacy with George goes which may be why she could now feel sour about letting herself go there and subsequently feels he was 'ghastly'.

    I'm not as well read up as many here about the filming but wasn't everyone a prisoner on set at Piz Gloria for big periods all frozen / bored in one another's company!? That would stretch many working relationships!
  • TokolosheTokoloshe Under your bed
    Posts: 2,667
    I couldn't care less about any actor playing Bond taking advantage of his position to have it away with the ladies. If you're not committed to one person then why the heck not? Lazenby clearly regrets his actions at the time and has emerged as a likeable fellow ever since and Rigg's career only benefitted from being a Bond girl. I suspect that if they were to meet again in the present day Lazenby would probably agree with everything she had to say last week!

    I struggle with my views of Sean Connery, however, because I dislike his views on women, Scottish independence and his overall perceived shitty and ungrateful attitude towards the series to which he owes his entire career. I know these things have been explained away in the past but I still can't say I like the man, except for in his outstanding portrayal of Bond which gave us the films and subsequent series that we love.

    It is a similar situation to chess player Bobby Fischer, widely acknowledged as the best player of all time but who descended into being a raging anti-Semitic loony living as a hermit in Iceland and gleefully celebrating the 9/11 attacks. It's always difficult when someone who excelled in something you admire is such an unlikeable person in every other respect.
  • doubleoegodoubleoego #LightWork
    Posts: 11,139
    I'm not going to judge George because even though he should have behaved better, someone in his position at the time had the bragging rights to do so. This was a young guy from Australia, no acting experience and he bullcrapped his way into getting the top acting job in the world. How many of us can claim such a thing? How many of us would have the balls to be that brazen and not only attempt to do what he did but to actually get the job? The fact he was able to achieve what by and large should have been the impossible is no wonder why he behaved so cocky and arrogant. He got himself to the top of the mountain and exploited the sense of power that he had. Obviously, he misused that power and behaved irresponsibly and ultimately facilitated his own undoing but wether one likes him or not, the way he impressively nabbed the role of Bond can't be denied.
  • Posts: 1,068
    How many here can in full honestly say that they get on really well with ALL their work colleagues every day, day in, day out without some minor irritations if not major clashes of personality!? To the point even of despising someone that most probably spends more time with on a daily basis than family & loved ones yet they're stuck with unless one another changes their employment!

    These actors are doing a job and like everyone else are stuck with who they work with. In the end it's down to how professional they conduct themselves which seems to be a situation both George and Rigg have swapped position over the past years!
  • Posts: 820
    Well I glad she wish either Sean or Roger as Bond inON Her Secret ServiceGood thing George Quit after this Bond movie. George Lazenby doesn't have any Harts to o'fend himself in this. Well I'm glad what Diana Rigg said about him.
  • edited August 2014 Posts: 4,622
    Laz is the second greatest Bond ever! Wish he'd done more Bonds, post DAF that is.
    I don't care what Rigg says. I don't think George does either. It all seems quite true anyway, and does jive with most everything else we know. Laz was young and brash. So what. I wouldn't expect a more mature personage such as Rigg at the time to be impressed anyway.
    Personally, I think Laz would have been a hoot to hang out with back then.
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