She’s been a household name for six decades and still looks spectacular on a red carpet but Jane Seymour was understandably nervous when she first met Roger Moore on the set of the latest James Bond film Live and Let Die. The English Rose had only received her big break just two years before in the war drama The Only Way. She then starred in the smash hit TV show The Onedin Line.
Taking on the role of the beguiling and sensual Solitaire in 1973’s Live And Let Die would make her a worldwide star, but the studio first wanted to give her a much sexier look and reputation.
So much so that her own father called her in concern after reading about her naked exploits in the press, and the danger his darling daughter was going to be facing. And that was before the film had even started shooting.
Seymour recalled: “They hired this guy, Terry O’Neil, great photographer, to take my photographs and spend three days with me and come up with a story… He couldn’t find any salacious, sexy stuff because I’m playing a sex symbol, right? But I’m also playing a virgin. So he didn’t know what to say.
“They wrote in this thing, ‘She loves to run naked through long grass’. So I got a call from my father, who’s a doctor, who said, ‘Darling, it’s a very good article but I’m a bit concerned about you running through long grass. And while we’re at it, in the book it says you’re being dragged behind a boat on a coral reef with sharks, so I just want to mention those to you.’ There we go!”.
The coral reef scene Jane mentioned was later incorporated into a later film, For Your Eyes Only, with a different Bond girl but she still had her obligatory Bond sex scene – although Moore added his own unique touch during filming.
The film marked a new era for the 007 franchise, with Moore taking over from Sean Connery, following George Lazenby’s brief ill-fated stint as the secret agent.
Moore brought a lighter, more playful approach to the role, which was evident even in the trailer that promised “more, much Moore.” He was also much older than his co-star at 45, and had his own nerves to contend with as he made his debut in what was becoming the biggest role in Hollywood history.
The square-jawed idol already had plenty of experience seducing women on screen from his days as The Saint but Seymour revealed that he had more than his trademark raised eyebrow at his disposal in bed. And in a modern age laden with endless disclosures of bad behaviour on set, it’s refreshing to hear that Moore was never less than a gentleman…
Seymour said: “He was funny. He was much funnier in real life than he ever was on film. I always tell people that. He was hilarious. Hilarious! “
She described how Moore suggested they both consume liver and onions before their bed scene, and when Seymour actually dozed off in the bed between takes due to the lengthy filming process, she woke up to find him offering her a cup of tea.
The actress recounted numerous examples of the fun they had together. During the renowned poppy field scene, they both found one line in the script so absurd that, “We couldn’t look each other in the eye without losing it completely. We ended up like a couple of teenagers and they actually banned me from the set.”
Another time, they both caught dysentery and were laid up recuperating in a trailer when it was hit by a car in a freak accident. They were both thrown onto the floor on top of each other.
Through every experience, the actress praised how Moore provided a safe environment amidst the horrors of abuse rife in Hollywood for so many decades – something that Seymour herself has confirmed she was not spared from on other sets.
She added: “Roger was fantastic to me. When I was (filming) in New Orleans or in Jamaica, he made sure every night that I was OK and safe, checked to see whom I was with… He’d include me in any social thing that happened.”
Live and Let Die is on ITV4 today