20 Things You Didn’t Know About Moonraker (1979)

17. “How Can I Sleep? Nothing But Problems, Problems, Problems...”

Moonraker Roger Moore 1979
MGM/UA

Walter Gotell’s General Alexis Gogol became quite the ladies’ man during his run in the Bond films, starting with Lizzie Warville’s “Russian Girl”, who waited for him in his bed in Moonraker.

However, Gogol’s lover was originally meant to be Major Anya Amasova (Barbara Bach) from The Spy Who Loved Me. Negotiations for the-now Lady Starkey’s return were unsuccessful [just as they were for A View to a Kill, leading to the creation of Pola Ivanova (Fiona Fullerton)] as, even though the tenth Bond film had benefited Bach’s career, she had not enjoyed making it.

Lizzie Warville therefore stepped into the role of Gogol’s lover and was subsequently cast as one of the scantily-clad beauties at Hector Gonzales’s (Stefan Kalipha’s) villa in For Your Eyes Only (1981).

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I started writing for WhatCulture in July 2020. I have always enjoyed reading and writing. I have contributed to several short story competitions and I have occasionally been fortunate enough to have my work published. During the COVID-19 lockdown, I also started reviewing films on my Facebook page. Numerous friends and contacts suggested that I should start my own website for reviewing films, but I wanted something a bit more diverse - and so here I am! My interests focus on film and television mainly, but I also occasionally produce articles that venture into other areas as well. In particular, I am a fan of the under appreciated sequel (of which there are many), but I also like the classics and the mainstream too.