Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Becoming Bond is not your typical documentary, which is fitting considering the film’s star, George Lazenby, has lived an extraordinarily atypical life. Now streaming on Hulu, Becoming Bond chronicles Lazenby’s unbelievable journey from a poor Australian car mechanic with no acting experience to landing the role of James Bond in 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Adding to the legend of Lazenby, the new 007 was then presented with the opportunity to star in the next six Bond films and a $1 million signing bonus. His response? Nah. I’m good.
The stranger-than-fiction tale is brought to life through director Josh Greenbaum’s innovative style that combines traditional documentary storytelling with narrative reenactments to create a unique hybrid that’s as engaging as it is refreshingly original. When Decider spoke with Greenbaum about his new documentary, he revealed his unconventional approach to making Becoming Bond was born out of his very first encounter with the endlessly charismatic Lazenby. George Lazenby.
“We had a two and half hour lunch and within five minutes I was completely won over by him,” Greenbaum told us. “He’s a fantastic storyteller, which was a huge element. He’s got a great story, but he’s also able to tell it well. And then more importantly, the idea of the format of the film was born out of [the fact that] he recalls stories in such great detail.”
Greenbaum wasn’t exaggerating. During a recent screening of the film, Lazenby could not only recall the license plate of his uncle’s car he stole when he was six-years-old (yep, six-years-old), but he also recounted the next six license plates of his uncle’s car. That type of recall combined with Lazenby’s innate flair for storytelling led to Greenbaum’s fun, inventive directorial approach to Becoming Bond.
“That inspired me to think, ‘Wow, we could really do some fun recreations in a tone or style that’s never really been done before in a documentary.”
A former car mechanic’s unlikely ascent to become the new face of one of the most iconic franchises in Hollywood is already filled with more than enough intrigue to shake or stir you out of the doldrums of boredom, but it’s the beyond mind-boggling specifics that make Lazenby’s story so riveting. Through a slew of reenactments, we witness the sequence of implausible events — stealing Sean Connery’s suit from a tailer, sneaking into the audition, lying about his previous theatrical experience — that led to George’s improbable induction into the Bond brotherhood.
Simply put: George Lazenby became James Bond by simply acting like James Bond.
Fans of the secret agent franchise will savor this gripping look into an unknown crevice of the franchise, but you don’t have to know your Goldfinger from your GoldenEye to enjoy the heartbreaking love story detailed in the documentary. Greenbaum went into his initial meeting expecting to hear all about Lazenby’s path to Bond, but instead it was George’s personal story of love and loss that piqued his interest.
“I certainly went into that lunch expecting, ‘Okay, let’s all hear about the Bond stuff.’ And I think this is the same experience a lot of people have going into see the movie. There’s the expectation that that would be the primary focus. For me, once we started talking about his life, it was the love story with Belinda that was the most engaging.”
It just wouldn’t be a proper Bond story without a beguiling leading lady, right? George’s romance with Belinda is the emotional center of the film. So much so that Greenbaum revealed that one of the touchstones of Becoming Bond in terms of story and tone was Robert Zemeckis’ classic Forrest Gump.
“They have similar qualities in that George found himself at these crazy situations in history, almost through luck or happenstance,” Greenbaum said. “But really more to the point, the real through line of Forrest Gump is Jenny. It’s a love story. And to me that’s what I enjoyed in [Becoming Bond] as well. At the end of the film, it’s really poignant to me that you expect George Lazenby’s biggest regret is turning down either the money or the fame or the role of doing six more. And the fact is he doesn’t regret that decision at all. His biggest regret is love lost; the missed opportunity of a relationship years and years and years ago. And I think that’s really poignant and interesting that as you’re on your way out, you’re 78-years-old, it’s not the money or the career stuff you think about, it’s relationships and friendships and family.”
While Becoming Bond features an array of star power (Josh Lawson portrays Lazenby and Jane Seymour, Jeff Garlin, Jake Johnson, and Dana Carvey all appear in the film), there’s no denying that the true star is Lazenby himself, whose earnest take it or leave it storytelling both charms and captivates.
“One of the titles I kept toying with was Bigger Than Bond, because in a way, [George] was James Bond prior to even taking the role. And I think part of what made him turn it down was wouldn’t you rather live and be James Bond than sort of pretend and do take after take and be on a set for nine months?”
In essence, George Lazenby turned down the fictional role of James Bond in order to actually live the life of James Bond in reality.
“I think once he got the Bond role offered, he wanted to get it, but he never wanted to be an actor. For some people, it’s crazy that he turns it all down, but if you think about it, it was something he was never really necessarily seeking, so once he did it and had fun with it he said, ‘Yeah, next thing. I want to be a motocross racer. I wanna do real estate.’ He bought a sailboat and traveled around the world. I’ve often said he’s like the real-life Most Interesting Man in the World.”
Sometimes truth really is stranger than fiction. Is George Lazenby’s improbable journey from mechanic to James Bond more of an aspirational or cautionary tale? Greenbaum believes it’s the former.
“I think the expectation is that it’s probably a cautionary tale,” Greenbaum said. “As you see in the film, that’s what he became. His name became synonymous with a bit of a punchline. Like, ‘Oh I don’t wanna be the guy who makes that mistake.’ So I think everyone thought he made a mistake, and I think in reexamining his life and letting him tell his story from his perspective, it’s absolutely aspiration. He lived a life true to himself. He wrote his own story. There’s very few of us that can say that.”
