Martin Shaw turned down being James Bond

[Blowfeld]

The Daily Telegraph September 23, 2010 12:00AM
AN ACTOR has admitted, in hindsight he was wrong, to turn down a screen test to be James Bond.

Martin Shaw, who played Doyle in the UK crime series The Professionals for six years from 1977and now plays George Gently in Inspector George Gently, said that he feared the role would dominate his career.

The actor said the offer came in 1978, the year before Moonraker was released starring Roger Moore. Moore, who first played James Bond in the 1977 film The Spy Who Loved Me, went on to play Bond in For Your Eyes Only (1981), Octopussy (1983) and his final film A View To A Kill in 1985.

"They asked me way back to do a screen test for James Bond. I said "no"," Shaw said in a interview in the Radio Times magazine in the UK.

"I just didn't want to play him because it dominates everything you've done or go on to do.

"I was having dinner with the daughter of (Bond producer) Cubby Broccoli. This was about 1978. She'd seen me in The Professionals and begged me to do a screen test. She was astonished when I said "no thanks".

"Although, in retrospect, it might have been a good idea to have had a go at it."

Shaw, now 64, is reprising his role as investigator George Gently in the third series of the 1960s drama which begins in the UK on Sunday.

This story can be found at http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entert ... 5927980069

[katied]

That hairdo would have had to go. I can imagine the outrage if the internet had been around back then the way it is now: There'd have been a "jamesbonddoesnothaveapoodleperm" website, no doubt.

[Kristatos]

"I was having dinner with the daughter of (Bond producer) Cubby Broccoli. This was about 1978. She'd seen me in The Professionals and begged me to do a screen test. She was astonished when I said "no thanks".

Barbara Broccoli: making terrible choices for Bond actors for over 30 years.

[Omega]

That hairdo would have had to go. I can imagine the outrage if the internet had been around back then the way it is now: There'd have been a "jamesbonddoesnothaveapoodleperm" website, no doubt.

Napoleon Dynamite is not Bond

[Omega]

"I was having dinner with the daughter of (Bond producer) Cubby Broccoli. This was about 1978. She'd seen me in The Professionals and begged me to do a screen test. She was astonished when I said "no thanks".

Barbara Broccoli: making terrible choices for Bond actors for over 30 years.

Didn't she want Sean Bean at one point too

[Kristatos]

Didn't she want Sean Bean at one point too

Yes she did. It's why I don't have faith that once Craig goes, the Bond series will return to its former glories. Chances are, the next Bond will be just as awful.

[katied]

"I was having dinner with the daughter of (Bond producer) Cubby Broccoli. This was about 1978. She'd seen me in The Professionals and begged me to do a screen test. She was astonished when I said "no thanks".

Barbara Broccoli: making terrible choices for Bond actors for over 30 years.

Someone needs to photoshop one of those demotivational posters with a picture of Babs and under that: Daddy's buisness: Ur doing it wrong.

[Dr. No]

She has a long history of wanting the absolute wrong people for the role. During the run up to CR i read somthing about a number of teh other people she personally wanted for Bond, they were awful. Craig might be nice guy and a decent actor in some role but in Bond he is crap. Some how rebooting it make it ok, its not. Watch the first few minutes of Dr No, get to teh scene where Connery said Bond James Bond for the first time. That's it that is all any one needs to know about James Bond, it was encapsulated very early on. TO the credit of everyone involved they all realized Bond was more than an action hero wanna be. Yes there were stunts and unbelievable plots but it wasn't Rutger Hauer running after Dolph Lundgren

[katied]

Napoleon Dynamite is not Bond

"I can kill whoever I want! I have a license to kill! Gosh!"(probably funnier if you've actually seen Napoleon Dynamite)

[Kristatos]

Someone needs to photoshop one of those demotivational posters with a picture of Babs and under that: Daddy's buisness: Ur doing it wrong.

Like this you mean? Sorry, I don't do txt spk.

[katied]

Someone needs to photoshop one of those demotivational posters with a picture of Babs and under that: Daddy's buisness: Ur doing it wrong.

Like this you mean? Sorry, I don't do txt spk.

Yeah! Actually, I can think of a few of those but maybe I'll start a thread for it.

[Kristatos]

Yeah! Actually, I can think of a few of those but maybe I'll start a thread for it.

Yes, it probably belongs in the Fan Art forum.

[carl stromberg]

He would not have been my 1st choice but would have been better than Daniel Craig. He wasn't a serious candidate was he? Cubby Broccoli had about 500 alternatives to Roger lined up in the late seventies.

Lewis Collins should have been Bond.


[video]www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMrjy9ZDBxM[/video]

[Dr. No]

Someone needs to photoshop one of those demotivational posters with a picture of Babs and under that: Daddy's buisness: Ur doing it wrong.

Like this you mean? Sorry, I don't do txt spk.

I like it

[Powder Puff]

He would have been OK, perhaps only for retrospective cult value if he had played James Bond in the style of Doyle in the early eighties.

Lew Collins: now that's Bond.

[Harvey Wallbanger]

Napoleon Dynamite is not Bond

"I can kill whoever I want! I have a license to kill! Gosh!"(probably funnier if you've actually seen Napoleon Dynamite)

Napoleon Dynamite Bond -Bond has never been so ridiculed.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiwkDf0qQO0[/video]
All the youtube mockups -looks like the younger generation think the Bond people are taking themselves too seriously.

[katied]

Babs and Mike *are* taking themselves seriously. Interesting that fans are really starting to notice and are taking the mickey out of them for it.

[Blowfeld]

No to Shaw, yes to Lewis. Perhaps we should start a list of names of celebrities who reject the New Bond, as well as a list of bad choices Barbara wanted for the lead role.

One of the funny things about having an oriental wife is having to explain things that you think you know, but it turns out that you don’t. For instance, the other day we were watching The Professionals and she was asking me about the main actors. Now, she knew who Gordon Jackson (Cowley) was – “That’s Mr Upstairs Downstairs” and she recognised Martin Shaw (Doyle) – “He was in Poirot!”. But who was the guy playing Bodie? Well, I explained that it was Lewis Collins. I’m met with a blank look. And then I suddenly realise that I don’t know anything about him. He was in The Professionals, did that SAS film “Who Dares Wins” and then… I don’t know anything else. Time to do some reading.

And I’m glad I did. For it appears that Lewis Collins is quite an interesting chap. As a kid, he was interested in shooting and won several marksmanship competitions. He had also learned to play the drums and was apparently in the running to replace Pete Best in the Beatles, but turned it down to be a hairdresser, saying there was “more money in it.”
Lewis Collins touching himself

Having passed up the chance to be the Beatles’ drummer, Collins learned to play the guitar and bass and ended up in a group called The Mojos who were relatively successful. After the band broke up, he did a series of odd jobs before deciding to become an actor. He managed to secure a place at LAMDA where he trained for three years before leaving to take on a series of small TV roles. Eventually, he ended up in a sitcom for two years before landing a guest spot on The New Avengers alongside Martin Shaw which directly led to the pair starring in The Professionals.

He also joined the TA (Territorial Army – a volunteer reserve force) before trying out for the SAS. Amazingly, he passed the very tough selection process only to be rejected for having too high a public profile which, it was felt, would compromise his role within the regiment.

In 1982, auditions were held to take over from Roger Moore as James Bond. Collins auditioned but was rejected for being “too aggressive” which is a little ironic given the current attempts to make Bond more gritty. Further job offers were not forthcoming or were just copies of his Bodie role and Collins moved to the USA where he played a few minor TV roles and studied to become a director, although he hasn’t gone on to direct anything. In the mid-90s a revival of The Professionals was in the works and Collins was originally attached to the project as Bodie although, with the series being set some years after the previous series, Bodie was to be the head of CI5. Sadly, it didn’t happen and Collins returned to the US where he indulges his hobbies of parachuting, shooting and flying (having gained his pilot’s license).

What a weird life. From turning down The Beatles to playing an SAS type to almost joining the real SAS to almost becoming Bond. He’s certainly a more varied and interesting character than I ever realised at the time. I’m glad the wife asked me about him.

this can be found at http://www.ageandanniesramblings.co.uk/ ... s-collins/