Terence Stamp’s bizarre pitch to replace Sean Connery as James Bond
Terence Stamp, renowned for his roles in The Collector, The Limey and Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Theorem, might seem like an odd choice to play James Bond. He was, however, one of the top names to replace Sean Connery when he first stepped away from the iconic role in the late 1960s.
At the time, Stamp was an icon. He was one of swinging London’s biggest personalities, known for his good looks, immaculate swagger, and controversial film roles. But the actor blew his chance due to a bizarre suggestion he made to Harry Saltzman, the producing partner of Albert Broccoli, the American film producer who saw Bond go from zero to hero.
Harry courted the then 31-year-old Stamp by taking him out for dinner at the White Elephant on Curzon Street—a flashy private bar and restaurant that was the place to be for “Hollywood stars, It girls and high society.” Harry put it to him bluntly. According to Stamp in 2013, he said, “We’re looking for the new 007. You’re really fit and really English.” Terence was gobsmacked.
Sean Connery had been so successful in the role and was so attached to it. Those were big shoes to fill – what if he just could not live up to those huge expectations? Remember, at this time, Connery was the one and only James Bond. In a moment of uncertainty, Stamp blurted out an odd idea that, according to him, dashed his chances immediately.
“The fact is,” he started, “Sean has made the role his own. The public will have trouble accepting anyone else. But in one of the books, it starts with him disguised as a Japanese warrior.” By this time, Salzman was already uncomfortable. “If we could do that one, I could start the movie in complete Japanese make-up. By the time it came off, they are used to me a little bit. I would love to do it like that,” Stamp continued, oblivious
Stamp’s suggestion might have, unfortunately, been a little more palatable in the 1960s – but not palatable enough that a major production like James Bond would be open to it. At worst, the idea harkens back to racist exploitation movies like that of The Face of Fu Manchu – or, at best, the absolute lowest point of Twin Peaks‘ second season. Seriously, what were they thinking with Catherine Martell’s storyline?
In the end, Stamp was rebuffed. He left London shortly after, reflecting, “I was in my prime, but when the ’60s ended, I ended with it.” Federico Fellini introduced him to Indian mystic Krishnamurti in the late ’60s, and Stamp soon found himself living in an ashram in India. He later spent several years in Italy before his acting career resurged in the late 1970s with his role as General Zod in Superman II.
Most recently taking a crucial role in Edgar Wright’s Last Night in Soho, Stamp has remained a cinematic icon in his own right, even without a James Bond film to his name—and he’s probably all the better for it.
