10 Actors Who Hated Working On James Bond Movies

Although he starred in what will later become the fan-favourite of the James Bond movies – 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service - Australian actor George Lazenby walked away from the role swiftly afterwards. Apparently, the production team had a legendarily awful time working with Lazenby; he constantly battled with director Peter Hunt (who ended up refusing to speak to the actor altogether), his co-stars, and even his own expectations.

It didn’t start well either: when producers Broccoli and Saltzman called Lazenby about his casting call, he didn’t like their attitude, and it just snowballed from there. It may have been due to the fallout after Sean Connery left the role, but even Broccoli himself said that casting Lazenby was his “…biggest mistake in 16 years. He just couldn't deal with success. He was so arrogant.”

When he left, Lazenby retorted with "They made me feel like I was mindless. They disregarded everything I suggested, simply because I hadn't been in the film business like them for about a thousand years. What I'm going to do is look for a great director first, a good screenplay second. Meanwhile, no more Bond. I make better money doing commercials."

So, he decided to leave the Bond franchise for good, although he does admit it was a move he regrets. Leaving the Bond franchise so soon really hurt his career potential, as he never starred in anything as popular or high-grossing ever again.