20 Things You Didn’t Know About For Your Eyes Only (1981)
11. “Give Us A Kiss!”
The Havelocks’ parrot, Max was previously owned by former Bond Girl, Diana Rigg before being given to stuntwoman, Cyd Child, who doubled for her as Emma Peel on The Avengers (1961-1969).
Child doubled for Carole Bouquet and Cassandra Harris in For Your Eyes Only, but was injured whilst filming the scene where Lisl is run down by Emile Leopold Locque in a buggy on a Corfu beach. To simulate Max speaking, Child dabbed peanut butter on the bird’s beak and, after he licked it off on camera, actor Jack Hedley (who also portrayed Melina's father, Sir Timothy Havelock) dubbed his lines during post-production.
Even though Roger Moore’s own preference ran to a lighter-hearted interpretation of Double-0 Seven, he accepted that For Your Eyes Only needed to be a serious film. He, therefore, disliked the fact that the parrot revealed that the ATAC had been taken to St. Cyril's Monastery and also the closing scene in which Max is mistaken for James Bond during a cheeky call with British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher (Janet Brown), as it railed against the serious tone of the film.
Cyd Child's parrot later made a cameo at the MI6 safe house, Blayden where General Georgi Koskov (Jeroen Krabbé) is given sanctuary in The Living Daylights (1987).