Was casting a former Felix actor in LTK intentional?

MilleniumForce

So David Hedison became the first actor to play Felix more than once. Was this intentional for LTK? Due to the importance of Felix in the film, and to create a more emotional connection to Bond, I presume that a former Felix actor was wanted to come back. Has this been confirmed anywhere? I imagine Hedison was the only suitable Felix for LTK - all the actors who played Felix with Connery would have been too old, and the actor who played Felix in TLD is ultimately the worst, so I can see why they didn't get him back.

heartbroken_mr_drax

Probably a blend of intention and loyalty. The commentary from Hedison on the LTK Blu-ray does shed quite a bit of light on his casting and acting.

IMO, I really don't like his acting style in LTK, he's okay in LALD, because the script seems to suit him more.

Barbel

As hmd says above, Hedison discusses his casting in the LTK commentary.

This thread may be of interest: http://www.ajb007.co.uk/topic/35868/david-hedison-as-leiter-in-licence-to-kill/

A quote: The role has been short-changed over the years because, Hedison believes, “they probably thought it’s not worth paying good money for a part that’s so unimportant. They would get a beginner or a new actor or someone like that and save on the budget.” Hedison thinks he was asked back, rather than John Terry, the last Leiter, because “there was much more to do in the film than in the past, and they were afraid of using an unknown or someone they weren’t quite sure of.” Source: http://www.the007dossier.com/007dossier/post/2014/02/13/Two-time-Felix-Leiter-(David-Hedison)-talks-to-Starlog-1989

Firemass

Brilliant idea to bring Hedison back. LTK would have suffered heavily without him.

Thunderpussy

I remember reading Cubby and Michael, met Hedison at a party and were impressed with
how young looking he still was.

Golrush007

I think of all the Leiter/Bond pairings, Moore and Hedison in LALD seemed to have the greatest sense of camaraderie and friendship and the two actors played off each other well so I guess they hoped to recreate that in LTK. When I saw that Hedison was reprising his Felix role in LTK I was very happy.

superado

I thought Hedison looked a bit too old for LTK and his casting just reminded me about Sir Roger's overstaying in the role well past his prime. With Dalton in TLD, I found the youth factor refreshing like a palette cleanser esp. immediately after AVTAK and likewise, I really liked John Terry as Leiter, a youthful 80's rendition of the character just as Dalton with his hair was the Bond of the 80's. However, considering the involved plot of LTK, I suppose it was a wise decision to use Hedison, with whom you had instant history and perhaps the most important factor for a supporting character's utility, the ability to make audiences care.

caractacus potts

so you can splice the two films together, all that's left to do is digitally replace Daltons face with Moore's, I'm sure there's an app for that, and there's your faithful adaptation of the book

Silhouette Man

An interesting idea for a thread, MF. -{

I've never really thought about this too much before to be honest aside from why they didn't use John Terry again as he was at least passable as Leiter in TLD. That's not peculiar to John Terry's Leiter only of course as the very same could be said about Jack Lord, Cec Linder, Rik van Nutter and Norman Burton. I think you are right though in that bringing back Hedison was a good move (despite the age difference with Dalton) in terms of greater acting chops in the more dramatic scenes with Leiter in LTK.

Shady Tree

With the more mature Hedison it makes it easier to accept him as a guy with 'old buddies' amongst the cops and spies. Also, his marriage to Della later in life adds somehow to the tragedy of his loss of her.

chrisisall

Shady Tree wrote:

With the more mature Hedison it makes it easier to accept him as a guy with 'old buddies' amongst the cops and spies. Also, his marriage to Della later in life adds somehow to the tragedy of his loss of her.

Yes. And add in Hedison's natural charm & you have the reason for his casting. -{

superado

caractacus potts wrote:

so you can splice the two films together, all that's left to do is digitally replace Daltons face with Moore's, I'm sure there's an app for that, and there's your faithful adaptation of the book

As much as I've been a super-freak Bond fan all of my conscious life, I never made the mental connection that RM's Leiter, David Hedison, appears in LALD, based on the novel in which Leiter is maimed by a shark, which came to fruition with Hedison's Leiter in LTK...my mind just blew a mushroom cloud ) Goes to show how I automatically have a loose grasp of Bond continuity as a kind of survival instinct that allows me to enjoy the series. Afterall, there are more actors who played Leiter than any other recurring Bond character including Bond himself!

Barbel

Silhouette Man wrote:

I've never really thought about this too much before to be honest aside from why they didn't use John Terry again as he was at least passable as Leiter in TLD. That's not peculiar to John Terry's Leiter only of course as the very same could be said about Jack Lord, Cec Linder, Rik van Nutter and Norman Burton.

I think Burton was the weakest Leiter of the bunch you mention, and didn't approach passable.

CoolHandBond

Nutter looked exactly as I imagined Leiter to be in the books.

Barbel

Agreed, and it wasn't his fault the script made him Bond's yes man. It's a pity that the original plan to have him carry on as Leiter didn't pan out.

hehadlotsofguts

CoolHandBond wrote:

Nutter looked exactly as I imagined Leiter to be in the books.

I had always thought of Nutter's portrayal as a laid back surfer type. Appropriate for the film's location and overall atmosphere.

superado

The reason why I liked John Terry because he was as youthful and virile as the new Bond, but also because he seemed like he could have been a quarterback in high school or something similar that was a small-town quality that Fleming imbued on the character.

On the ideal Leiter character, it's either Fleming-ist, or for film what would be ideal as Bond's ally, a "cool," American partner to Bond's very British agent, or a combination of both in deference to the Bond legacy. The criteria of "cool" easily eliminated the Leiters from GF and DAF (I wonder if Guy Hamilton nursed a conceptual ideal for the bureaucratic, non-glamourous American G-man type). Cool American agent easily fit Van Nutter, Hedison, Bernie Casey (NSNA), John Terry and Jeffrey Wright, but as you guys said, I think Van Nutter captured the best of both worlds, being the cool American operative as needed for the role, yet being that laid-back Felix Leiter affectually characterized by Fleming. He even reminded me of Clint Eastwood before he became famous himself!

If not for his persona, a current personality who I think would fit the character is Owen Wilson, who has a mop of blonde hair, is boyish and laid back like Felix of the books. Unfortunately, I can't think of him being anyone else but Hansel from the Zoolander!

HowardB

I also always thought Van Nutter reminded me of a young Clint Eastwood minus the screen presence and overall badassery. Ironically, Van Nutter made a career starring in a bunch Spaghetti Westerns as a poor man's Clint Eastwood.

thenoisydrum

I always thought Hedison looked far too old in the slow motion scene in the PTS. He looks like he's on his last legs bless him.

Thunderpussy

Well he did give an arm and a leg for the part

( Literary Felix )

heartbroken_mr_drax

thenoisydrum wrote:

I always thought Hedison looked far too old in the slow motion scene in the PTS. He looks like he's on his last legs bless him.

Yeah, even Moore looked better jogging in AVTAK!