Roger Moore Made A Real-Life Rescue On The Set Of The Man With The Golden Gun
Roger Moore's turn as James Bond is typically known as one of the more whimsical interpretations of 007. Moore would compare himself in interviews to his predecessor in the role, Sean Connery, saying, "I always say, Sean was a killer; I was a lover."
Whereas Bond has always had a womanizing side and been prone to making quips towards the villains he brutally murders, Connery's Bond took himself a bit more seriously than Moore's. Connery leaned a bit more into the calculated, professional killer aspect of the character, whereas Moore's Bond worked under the assumption that he wouldn't enjoy killing, but would do so "professionally, quickly, and accurately." Moore's gentler Bond would make goofy jokes and pretend his villains had bad breath.
However, behind the scenes, Moore's Bond was just as heroic as any of the agent's other iterations. From the very start of his stint with the character, Moore realized that playing a secret agent in the movies wasn't quite as much safer than being a secret agent in real life as one would assume. On the first day of Moore's Bond tenure, he was part of multiple dangerous stunt shoots. Throughout his time filming, Moore was hurt multiple times, including being set on fire at one point.
But it wasn't just a parade of injuries for Moore, as, according to an interview with Dick Cavett, he once had to save his co-star from explosive doom.
An explosive rescue
In the films, James Bond often has a female counterpart, usually referred to as that movie's "Bond girl." While they've been both friends and foes, a common dynamic between Bond and the Bond girl was that of a traditional hero and a damsel in distress, needing to be rescued by Agent 007.
This dynamic became a temporary reality during the filming of "The Man with the Golden Gun," according to an interview Roger Moore did with Dick Cavett. In the scene they were filming, Bond and Ekland's Mary Goodnight were to escape from an exploding island. What Moore wasn't aware of, however, was that he and Ekland were to be left on the island alone to maneuver the explosions, while the camera crew filmed from the sea.
"And I am left on the island with Britt Ekland. And of course all the things went off, my hands got very sweaty because I'm nervous, and I grabbed her and I said, "Come!" and I left her there! And I knew that the third one had gone, and then I said, "Come on!" And then I said something that I can't repeat to her, which still didn't make her move. She doesn't recognize her name. So I went back and I grabbed her, I mean heroism took over, I was me not Bond. And when the flames licked around that wall I put my arms around her like this and all the hair singed all the way down, she was wearing a bikini, all went straight down the back. Lucky it was her back."
So, while Moore may not be considered the best Bond ever, he proved himself to be a hero in real life, which very few actors can claim.