60-Second Interview With Sir Roger Moore

Sir Roger Moore sat down with Metro for a 60-second interview to discuss his work with UNICEF, his life with James Bond and more.

Roger Moore is James Bond

At 81 years old, Sir Roger is the oldest of the actors who have portrayed 007 on the big screen. When asked about this, he replied: ‘I try not to think about it too much, otherwise it may stop me doing what I want to do. I’ll stop stretching to reach things or I won’t run down the stairs because I may trip.’

‘[I don’t like] my appetite and my waistline. I can’t do as much exercise as I used to and I still like to eat so I have to go through periodic days of not eating too much. It’s a huge bore.’

Metro: You were once quoted as saying: ‘I enjoy being a highly overpaid actor.’
Sir Roger: Of course I do, I would be a bloody fool if I didn’t.

When asked about his tireless work with UNICEF throughout the world, Sir Roger mentioned that it taught him that ‘many people have absolutely nothing and they have no hope. I remember my first field trip in the early 1990s; we were on our way back from Central America and we had a three-hour wait at Dallas Airport. Unicef had arranged a press conference so I could speak about what I had seen in Guatemala. A man in the audience spoke up and said [puts on Texan twang]: “Mr Moore, you talk about the poor, well, we have got poor in our country right here.” And I said to him: “Quite frankly, you can kiss my ass. The poorest man in America is a multimillionaire compared to a poor man in the developing world.”‘

Metro: Could your Bond beat [Daniel Craig’s] Bond in a fight?
Sir Roger: Good God, no. I am even cowardly in real life.

To be expected, the topic of James Bond came up once or twice and Sir Roger only had praise for Daniel Craig, the current 00. ‘He is a terrific actor and a terrific Bond,’ he said. ‘I couldn’t believe the amount of grief he was getting before he even took the role. He’s a bloody good actor and a good-looking guy. He’s pretty tough.’

As for what annoys him about Bond, Sir Roger said: ‘He’s not the most believable spy, is he? I still struggle to understand how James Bond can be a spy when he is recognised by everyone everywhere in the world. I mean, everybody knows he wants a Martini shaken not stirred. And that invisible car Pierce Brosnan had was a bit far-fetched.’

His favourite Bond girl?

‘I have her now.’

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