10 Actors Who Hated Working On James Bond Movies

Canadian stage and television actor Joseph Wiseman earned his prestige as being the very first Bond villain: the Chinese-German criminal scientist Dr. No. It was an iconic role that set the stage for future Bond villains and their quirky villainy. However, Joseph Wiseman was not as thrilled with the part as other people would be.

Wiseman regarded the film as a “B-Movie mystery” and had no idea it would be so successful with sequel after sequel for the next 60 years, and the fact it did tainted his whole career. When he died, it was his daughter who revealed that Wiseman carried a lot of disdain for the James Bond franchise, and for Dr. No in particular. Apparently, Wiseman was horrified in his later years because he knew that Dr. No is what he will be most remembered for: being in racist yellow-face for a role that didn’t really do anything just to prop up a burgeoning hero in James Bond.

In all honesty, Dr. No, and especially the villain himself, were just stepping stones for greater things to come. Joseph Wiseman knew that, and couldn’t shake off the image that this role had given him until his death in 2009.