unknown actors/actress for 2nd movie risky?

Comments

• John Drake On assignmentPosts: 2,564MI6 Agent

  January 2008

  Connery was an unknown when they hired him for Dr No. That turned out alright.
• Hardyboy Posts: 5,906Chief of Staff

  January 2008

  Do you mean the particular actor's second Bond films, just FRWL, or the upcoming Bond 22? Whichever, I'll say that it may be risky, yes, but it's hardly scraping the bottom of the barrel. I'm sure EON could guarantee a huge hit by casting Anthony Hopkins as the villain, Angelina Jolie as the heroine, and Vigo Mortensen as Felix Leiter. Maybe it would be a good movie, but I'm sure each actor would be vying for a lot of screen time and doing what they can to upstage Bond (plus, with Hopkins as a baddie you'd be expecting him to go into Hannibal Lecter mode at any moment). Personally, I like that the producers have gone with some actors who aren't big names outside their own countries, or who've been in smaller films: it brings an element of surprise and mystery to the characters and to their performances.
  
  I also think that the recent trend toward lesser known actors is sort of a return to how EON originally did things. As John Drake points out, Connery himself was a bit of an unknown in 1962, as were Ursula Andress and Jack Lord. Joseph Wiseman was an established character actor, but he was hardly someone who would pack the seats. FRWL is usually cited as the Bond film with the best cast, but, when you look at it, the cast is kind of eccentric. Pedro Armendariz had the biggest name and was probably most famous as John Wayne's sidekick. Lotte Lenya was also famous, but as a stage star and as a singer, and she hadn't made a film in 30 years. Robert Shaw was best known in 1963 as a playwright. Daniela Bianchi was a beauty queen. Put 'em all together and you get near perfection.
  
  Anyway, when all is said and done, so long as the characters are well-written and the cast can do them justice, I don't care how well-known or unknown they are!

  Vox clamantis in deserto
• Napoleon Plural LondonPosts: 10,467MI6 Agent

  January 2008

  There are many very good actors you see on telly that have never been in anything else, no reason why the can't do it in a movie with the right preparation.
  
  Established stars tend to detract from Bond, rather like with the Batman series, as the producers pointed out.

  "This is where we leave you Mr Bond."
  
  Roger Moore 1927-2017