There are many reasons why
George Lazenby only made one appearance as James Bond. According to the DVD Documentary, here are some of the main reasons:
1. Lazenby's youthful cockiness rankled
Albert R. Broccoli's nerves. One incident mentioned is Lazenby skiing down the slopes on his own (resulting in the broken arm) and a moment of arrogance on Lazenby's part that spoiled a cast and crew party.
2. The notoriously harsh British tabloids writing up unfavorable stories about Lazenby and how he fails to measure up to
Sean Connery, thereby swaying public opinion against the movie before it was released. One incident cited by Lazenby was during an interview with a reporter in the commissary in which
Diana Rigg jokingly yelled from across the room "I'm having garlic for lunch, darling! I hope you are too!" This lead to an article in which Rigg supposedly hated Lazenby so much that "She eats garlic before love scenes".
3. Lazenby, believed that the Bond series was over in the wake of more sophisticated films like
The Graduate (1967) and
Easy Rider (1969), and the tuxedo-clad secret agent was out of touch with the newly liberated 1970s. He mentioned to his agent that he wasn't sure if he wanted to play Bond again, even before this film was released. The producers heard this and were none too pleased. Lazenby had been offered a seven picture deal and had signed a letter of intent to star in
Diamonds Are Forever (1971). He had even been paid an initial fee installment which he later refunded. Although some claim the film was a box-office failure, it was in fact a huge hit, recouping more than ten times its cost and becoming the second highest grossing film of the year at the worldwide box-office.
