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Is been the Chosen Bond favourite for the part a blessing or a curse?

lahainelahaine
edited December 2012 in Actors Posts: 161
I taught i bring this up after reading a fellow Forum member's acoppola comment on the A question to those who care not for Brosnan's Bond thread he said..

"I noticed that all the Bond actors that were not first choices for the role like Connery, Dalton and Craig made great impressions in their first films".

For me they had to prove the doubters wrong in Connery's he had to prove to Ian fleming and the studio's he was the right man for the job. Dalton, he wasn't first choice in the mid 80's and the worse was Craig who had a damn site deciated to hating on him and most of the Bond fans thinking he was wrong for the part. All three are probably the most critically acclaimed and fan favourite's within the Bond community.

The chosen ones in Moore and Brosnan they have their fans but they are the ones who probably gets the most critical pastings from fans for overdoing it.

So is been a Favourite for the role of James Bond a curse to have or a blessing?





Comments

  • thelivingroyalethelivingroyale
    edited December 2012 Posts: 12,837
    I don't think it matters myself. I like the Bonds who were favourites and I like the Bonds who weren't.

    I think it can make a difference to some people, because if somebody isn't a favourite for the part but turns out good they might suprise people and be better than people expected.

    If they have been a favourite for the part everybody expects them to do brilliantly, so in the end they might not live up to some people's expectations.

    So I'd say curse.
  • thelordflasheartthelordflasheart
    Posts: 1,370
    Well, technically Dalton was a "first choice" because Cubby wanted him back in '69 when he was 21!
  • lahainelahaine
    Posts: 161
    thelordflasheart wrote:
    Well, technically Dalton was a "first choice" because Cubby wanted him back in '69 when he was 21!

    He was indeed but not when it came around the second time (Brosnan was).
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    edited December 2012 Posts: 13,894
    lahaine wrote:
    thelordflasheart wrote:
    Well, technically Dalton was a "first choice" because Cubby wanted him back in '69 when he was 21!

    He was indeed but not when it came around the second time (Brosnan was).

    Actually, Brosnan wasn't. Dalton was offered TLD before Brosnan, but had to decline due to prior commitments (theatre work, I believe). It was then that Brosnan entered the frame for Bond in TLD.

  • wildboonjivewildboonjive
    Posts: 299
    MajorDSmythe wrote:
    lahaine wrote:
    thelordflasheart wrote:
    Well, technically Dalton was a "first choice" because Cubby wanted him back in '69 when he was 21!

    He was indeed but not when it came around the second time (Brosnan was).

    Actually, Brosnan wasn't. Dalton was offered TLD before Brosnan, but had to decline due to prior commitments (theatre work, I believe). It was then that Brosnan entered the frame for Bond in TLD.

    This is correct. Dalton was approached first, but he was in the midst of an engagement of Anthony and Cleopatra I believe. Brosnan then was the second choice.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 23,551
    This isn't news.
  • fanbond123fanbond123
    edited December 2012 Posts: 1,661
    Dalton was offered Bond several times. He declined OHMSS due to his age and was offered/approached to play Bond in For Your Eyes Only. He turned it down due to other acting commitments. If memory serves me right, Roger Moore had a one picture deal when Moonraker was released. By that time he wasn't under a multi-film contract so Eon were within their right to recast the role.

    The media never picked up on all of that and just went with the general assumption Pierce Brosnan was the only man meant to replace Moore's Bond. But Dalton was considered first!
  • RC7RC7
    Posts: 10,512
    I think it's better to be in a position where you're not favourite or first choice for the part. This goes for any role. The weight of expectation is completely diminished and allows you as an actor, ultimate creative freedom. If you cock it up, you meet expectation. Knock it out of the park, (see Craig) and you are a saviour. Cock it up when you're favourite and you'll begin to assess where you went wrong, inevitably leading to the moment where you wish you'd stepped outside the box and not tried to pander to expectation.
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