20 Things You Didn’t Know About On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)
2. “Teresa Was A Saint. I’m Known As Tracy.”
To compensate for having a newcomer portraying James Bond, Peter Hunt insisted on casting known performers in key supporting roles; most important of all was Double-0 Seven’s bride-to-be, Tracy.
Harry Saltzman originally wanted to cast French sex symbol, Brigitte Bardot in the role but, during her third interview with Hunt, she announced her casting alongside Sean Connery in Shalako (1968). “Harry and I looked at one another and that was the end of that,” Hunt later recalled. Saltzman also hoped to cast Catherine Deneuve, but she declined the role without an interview.
Instead, Saltzman and Hunt turned to British stage and screen actress, Diana Rigg, who had shot to fame as Mrs Emma Peel, successor to Honor Blackman's Dr. Cathy Gale on The Avengers (1961-1969). Rigg liked the role as it combined Shakespearean-style drama with action, although she was glad not to have to fire a single gun during filming.
She was paid £50,000 to appear in the sixth Bond film, more than double George Lazenby’s salary!