James Bond is a name many know. But fewer know much about who James Bond really is, outside of martinis, skirts, fast cars, and the world of international intrigue. I had the privilege of interviewing one person who knows a lot about Bond.
Mark Edlitz is the author of The Many Lives of James Bond, a book that explores who the spy is through interviewing many of the people who helped to create him, including director Martin Campbell, and Bond actors Roger Moore and George Lazenby.
Can you talk about the genesis of this book? How did you go from über-Bond fan to author of all things Bond in a book?
…It all started because my parents took me to see Moonraker when I was about seven years old. After that, I saw For Your Eyes Only. Those two movies proved there was no one way to make a Bond film. They can be over-the-top, like Moonraker, or gritty like For Your Eyes. From there, I was hooked. I watched all the Bond movies, devoured Ian Fleming’s novels, and read as many books about the franchise that I could get my hands on. But despite my fascination with Bond, there was very little information about the character himself. Sure, we knew how he liked his martini prepared, how he liked to introduce himself, and that he was an expert in pretty much everything. However, we never knew what makes him tick or what drives him. The Many Lives of James Bond is my attempt to better understand Bond’s character.
How did you decide whom to interview? There are a few obvious choices, but beyond that, there seems to be many you could choose. How long was your first list?
Deciding whom to interview was one of the most important decisions I could make. My goal was to speak to every actor who ever played Bond. When people think of Bond, they think of Bond movie actors. So, of course, I approached them all. But then I also contacted actors who have played Bond in different media. I tried to find performers that don’t often get asked about their association with the franchise. In addition to two movie Bonds, I also interviewed the actor who played James Bond Jr. in the animated series and the performer who played 007 in an Oscar tribute.
But the book is more than just interviews with Bond actors. The Many Lives of James Bond also explores Bond on television, radio, comics, and video games. I wanted to speak to the artists who were responsible for interpreting the character in different media. So I interviewed the screenwriters and directors of Bond movies, as well as the creators of Bond continuation novels, comic books, comic strips, video games, and Bond lyrics.
How did you manage to land the interviews you include?
I was personally responsible for tracking everyone down. As you can imagine, it’s a time consuming and slow process. But I would keep multiple irons in the fire. So I approached multiple people at the same time.
I appreciate that things being as they are, it is not possible to interview everyone involved with Bond. However, would there ever be a second edition to your book if you managed to land a particular interview, and if so, who may that, or they, be?
I’d love to interview the next actor who plays James Bond.
As a film nerd, I very much appreciated your music, stunt, and director interviews. Did you consider interviewing cinematographers of Bond? Editors? Stunt doubles for Brosnan, Dalton, etc? or others involved in the films?
My rule of thumb was that I would try to speak to anyone who either played Bond or was responsible for “creating” an aspect of the character. I also had to keep the book focused. To that end, I did speak with one stunt double. I interviewed Kai Marti, who doubled for Daniel Craig in Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, and Spectre. When I spoke with him, he was training for work on No Time To Die. I thought it was important to include a stunt double for a couple of reasons. The stunts in the Bond movies define his character. Also, the first time moviegoers saw the movie Bond in the gun barrel sequence in Dr. No, they weren’t looking at Sean Connery. Instead, they were looking at Bob Simmons, his double. So the first on-screen Bond is a stuntman.
How did you generally conduct your interviews? Did you tell the interviewee that you were writing a book? Did you record, or take notes?
Yes, everyone I spoke to knew that I was writing a book. For the most part, the interviews were conducted over the phone. Some were performed in person. Then, I would then transcribe the interviews, which is a tedious process. In some instances, I found transcribers to help me out. I also conducted a few over email. Sometimes I prefer written interviews. Written interviewers give your subject a little time to collect their thoughts and to refresh their memories about events that happened years ago.
I was surprised at the length of some of the interviews you included. You mention that all the interviews were edited for length and clarity. Can you describe how you decided what to include and what to cut out?
The average length of the interview was about an hour. Some interviews were a little longer and some were a little shorter. But they generally take an hour. Of course, I edited out the instances where people stumble for the right word or repeat themselves. But I always aim to get it as word perfect as possible. All my interview subjects are professionals and they are trusting me with their words. It is very important to me that I accurately reflect what my interview subjects said to me.
Can you speak to why the section about the feminist view of Bond was included? Does it have to do with “each Bond reflects his time period”?
The book is an examination of James Bond’s character. So I thought it would be interesting to learn more about 007’s character through the women he encounters in the films and the books. So I spoke to Lisa Funnell who argues that the phrase Bond Girl just doesn’t do the variety of women who are depicted justice. For instance, take three different characters: Dink, who had a fleeting part as a masseuse in Goldfinger, Teresa di Vicenzo, who Bond marries, and Xenia Onatopp, a villain in GoldenEye. How do you describe all of them as “Bond Girls”? They all serve different functions. It’s limiting, inaccurate, and misleading to use the same phrase to characterize all of them.
I notice you did not draw many conclusions from your interviews. In a book that explores who Bond is, I was expecting, but did not receive a “therefore, this is Bond….” section. You mostly let your interviews stand alone. Was this a stylistic or personal choice, or something else?
Right, good observation. I thought of each chapter not as individual interviews but as different conversations about Bond. They are supposed to stand on their own, but they also build to a larger point. Each chapter, I suppose, is like a piece of the puzzle. When you put them all together, you can see the larger picture. The closest I come to a big statement is in my preface to the Roger Moore interview. Otherwise, I thought it was best to let the interviews speak for themselves.
Bonus: If each Bond were in his prime, who would win in a fight?
That’s a tough one. In my interviews with Roger Moore and George Lazenby, I asked them a similar question. I felt a little silly doing it, but I thought that it was important for the truth to come out. Maybe Daniel Craig or George Lazenby. They both seem pretty tough to me.
-End-
My many thanks to Mark Edlitz for participating in my interview. Note: I have lightly edited a few of his answers, but only for clarity. You can pick up a copy of his book The Many Lives of James Bond anywhere books are sold and read a review of it here on NerdSpan.com.
