A James Bond Stunt Gone Wrong Sent Roger Moore Up In Flames
For the many actors who have taken their turn portraying British superspy James Bond in his numerous films, the job can sometimes be nearly as dangerous as Bond's on-screen escapades. Whether it be Roger Moore being injured doing a boat crash stunt or Daniel Craig hurting himself doing parkour, the role often requires some fairly risky stunts.
Nobody knows this better than Moore, who played Bond in seven films from 1973 to 1985. Taking up the mantle after Sean Connery finished up with the role meant expectations were high. Moore had to live up to Connery not only as a charismatic presence, but as an actor to work with, so this meant he would be doing a lot of his own stunts. Moore knew he'd be compared to Connery in many aspects, though when asked in an Entertainment Weekly interview if he got competitive with his predecessor, he said, "No more than two jockeys who are going to be paid anyway for running the race. But it would be nice if you won because you'd get the extra bonus."
While Connery's time as Bond is generally considered to have produced superior films, certain incidents that occurred during Moore's tenure are unimpeachable. For all you can say about Moore's portrayal of Bond, that it was too juvenile or not serious enough, you can't take away the fact that Moore was literally blown up on set.
Bond-fire
Moore spoke about this incident in an interview on The Dick Cavett Show, where he spoke of his brush with fiery death. Moore describes a scene in "The Spy Who Loved Me" where he faces off with the film's villain, played by Curt Jurgens. In the scene, the two sit at opposite ends of the table, while Jurgens shoots a rocket through a tube to blow up Bond's seat. According to Moore, things didn't go quite as planned.
"Of course I know he's coming, I'm James Bond, so I'm about to throw myself out of the chair, and they blew the chair up before I got out of it. And I hit the deck, you know, in flames, and I tried to carry on with the dialogue, you know, 'Now I'll get you...' And I couldn't see for smoke, you see, and it's me, I'm on fire, and I had three holes where you have one."
Say what you will about Roger Moore, but he was professional enough to attempt to finish out the scene when he was actively on fire. Moore may never be known as one of the best James Bonds there ever was, but in terms of replicating the character's propensity for dodging sure death, Moore certainly has a decent claim to stake.