The New James Bond Speaks
Interview with Sam Neill from People Magazine, July 1987
He has a license to kill, a duty to Queen and Country, and an ultra-top-secret clearance, but this week James Bond – or actor Sam Neill[1] who plays him in
The Living Daylights – sat down with
People to talk about the film, which promises to “return James Bond to the original vision of Ian Fleming.” It was a decision not without controversy, particularly for many fans of his predecessor Roger Moore, who had performed the iconic role for over a decade. They were incensed by the replacement, which occurred following the underperformance of
A View to a Kill in 1985.
(Image source “express.co.uk”)
People Magazine: Mr. Neill, welcome, or should I say “Mr. Bond?”
Sam Neill: (laughs) Sam is fine.
PM: Martini? Shaken, not stirred?[2]
SN: (laughs) The tea will be fine, thank you.
PM: What is it like to play such an iconic role? Do you feel the weight of the character?
SN: Well, certainly. James Bond is, as you say, iconic, so there are loads of expectations placed upon you. You know that the fans will be watching every move, expression and mannerism. And as an actor you have to make a critical decision on how much of the previous portrayals you want to incorporate into your portrayal, and how much you want to make your own.
PM: It sounds like a balancing act.
SN: Oh, certainly. I took a lot of inspiration from Mr. Connery, of course, but I also spent a good deal of time reading the original novels and trying to discover the character that Ian Fleming created.
PM: And what did you discover about the character?
SN: Well, there was an internal vulnerability to him that was generally lost in film and a reluctance to keep doing these dangerous, dehumanizing missions. He buries himself in hedonistic activities as a defensive measure. Still, though, the pressure manifested in the desire to always be and look in control, no matter how out of control the situation was. And credit to director John Glen and Mr. Broccoli for allowing me the creative freedom to explore these angles.
PM: The plot of
The Living Daylights is full of twists and turns[3] as Bond helps a KGB officer defect to the west, but he quickly finds that the story goes far deeper than that, with SMERSH assassins, gun runners, drug runners, possibly-rogue KGB agents, double crosses, heroic Afghan Mujahideen fighters[4], and a cello-playing love interest played by the gorgeous Maryam d’Abo. We won’t reveal the details here, but suffice it to say it’s got lots of action, quips, and the usual James Bond fun, but the story is notably darker and more ambiguous than the last few features in the series.
SN: Yes, the production team made a deliberate attempt to play down the humor and some might say “camp” of the last few instalments, but we didn’t want to skimp on the fun, of course. Maryam is delightful and we have a great cast with Jeroen Krabbé playing General [Georgi] Koskov, Joe Don Baker playing arms dealer Brad Whitaker, John Rhys-Davies as General [Leonid] Pushkin, Art Malik as Kamran Shah, and finally Dolph Lundgren[5] as [KGB assassin] Necross.
PM: And what was it like going toe-to-toe with Mr. Lundgren?
SN: (laughs) It’s pretty intimidating, frankly. He’s absolutely huge! A giant of a man. There are no camera tricks or lifts in his shoes, either. I remember hearing about how he nearly killed [Sylvester] Stallone when making
Rocky IV and it was hard to put that out of my head during the fight scenes. With that said, he’s honestly a delightful man and incredibly intelligent. Did you know that he speaks six languages and has a degree in chemical engineering?
PM: We did not.
SN: It’s true. A wonderful man to talk to or watch a game of footie with…soccer to your American readers.
PM: And you had quite the workout to get in shape for the role, we hear.
SN: “Workout” is putting it mildly. Boot Camp comes to mind! There was weight training, calisthenics, gymnastics, and even obstacle courses. After a few intensive weeks I began to feel like James Bond in real life. Thankfully Dolph was there to keep me humble and grounded. One day after I’d been so proud of myself for reaching a new max in the bench press, up comes Dolph, who uses my bench-press weights to do curls! (laughs)
PM: By the time this interview sees print the film should be in theaters. Is there anything that you’d like your viewers to think about when they watch it?
SN: I’d say “give us a chance.” (laughs) It’s always hard to be the new face of an old, familiar character. I’ve spoken to both Roger Moore and George Lazenby and they assured me that there will always be fans who can’t let go of “the other guy”. This isn’t just about me, either, as we were left with little choice but to retire the memorable recurring antagonist General Gogol since [his actor] Walter Gotell had to retire for health reasons. Still, between John [Rhys-Davies] and Dolph [Lundgren] there are good villains aplenty. And the action scenes are top notch and were a blast to film.
PM: Now, other actors were in the running to play Bond. Our sources cite names like Pierce Brosnan of
Remington Steele fame, Timothy Dalton, and Bryan Brown.
SN: Yes, and to be honest I do not believe that I was Cubby’s – Albert Broccoli’s – first choice. In fact, I dare say that if Pierce had been able to get out of his
Remington Steele obligations, then he’d be the one sitting across from you today!
PM: But you convinced him?
SN: Well, (laughs) let’s say that Dana and Barbara [Broccoli] convinced him.
PM: As mentioned before, the film veers into some darker and more ambiguous territory than some of its predecessors, highlighting the gray areas with the actions of both the East and the West in the ongoing Cold War. To what do you credit this shift in tone?
SN: Well, these things go in cycles. I have nothing but respect for Mr. Moore, he is a delightful chap. The tone of the movies during his run was notably more humorous than that of Mr. Connery’s by design, as the audience’s expectations were shifting. Now the pendulum is swinging back to the grittier side of things. Perhaps the bloke that replaces me will be given a more comedic script to work with.
PM: And do you expect to stay on as Bond?
SN: If Cubby and the audiences let me, then yes. (laughs) I can’t say for sure how long I will portray the character. I have little desire to stay on as long as Roger [Moore], but perhaps they’ll give me a little bit more time than George [Lazenby].
PM: Thank you for your time, Mr. Sam Neill.
SN: The pleasure was mine!
Not quite this…
Sam Neill stars as Secret Agent 007, James Bond, in the new United Artists release
The Living Daylights, in theaters across the nation today!
[1] You asked for Bond, you get Bond! And it’s “Dr. Alan Grant”! Neill auditioned in our timeline and was a favorite of director John Glen and Dana & Barbara Broccoli. Albert Broccoli was not able to be convinced in our timeline, however. Here is his screen test:
[2] For the record, shaken Martinis are an abomination good only for bruised booze and watered-down drinks (sorry, Mr. Bond). Stir briskly with a bar spoon for a count of 50 over cracked ice and strain. Yes, 50…I was skeptical when I heard it too, but tried it anyway. Try it yourself and thank me later. Also, to do a true per-the-book Bond cocktail you want to mix equal parts gin and vodka with a splash of lillet blanc (
not Vermouth), “shaken” per the book, but I recommend stirred as per the previous instructions.
[3] The film will largely follow the beats of the film of the same name from our timeline, though Neill’s take will be compared somewhat favorably to Sean Connery, unlike Dalton, who got mixed reviews from critics and fans alike at the time for his dark and conflicted portrayal in our timeline (he was arguably way ahead of his time!). The film will, like the Dalton version, be a somewhat darker and less humorous take on the character and will ultimately perform on par with the version from our timeline, making just under $200 million worldwide. Neill will be a somewhat controversial pick with some fans considering him a “second rate Connery” while others are just happy with the return to Connery’s less campy take on the character after Moore. Moore fans, of course, treated the casting as a betrayal.
[4] Oh, 1980s, you and your temporal irony!
[5] Lundgren is “Reprising” his brief cameo from
A View to a Kill (he was on set visiting his then-girlfriend Grace Jones and stood in for a sick actor. Here a certain lead role to be revealed soon did
not go to him, so he took this job instead. He will be so popular in this role (most called him the only memorable villain) that he’ll become a recurring franchise villain reminiscent of Jaws from the ‘70s films (in this film he survives his “fatal fall” and most certainly does
not plead for his life but falls to his apparent death “coldly staring at Bond”). There is no “killer Walkman”, just cold, unceasing murder. His character Necross is frequently compared to The Terminator for his cold, merciless inevitability. In our timeline the role went to Andreas Wisniewski.
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