James Bond icon George Lazenby ‘booed off stage’ after ‘belittling the Queen’ and making ‘creepy sexist’ comments
JAMES Bond star George Lazenby was booed off stage after making “creepy” and “disgusting” comments in front of a stunned audience.
The actor was on a Music of James Bond tour in Australia when he caused outrage with the offensive remarks – including “downplaying” the Queen the day after her tragic death.
The Australian famously played the iconic spy after taking over from Sean Connery in 1969, appearing once before abruptly quitting the franchise.
Following his on-stage fiasco, the actor has been booted off the tour, which included segments where he entertained the audience with stories of his life.
One audience member phoned into Perth radio station 6PR to share her outrage at the Bond star’s comments.
“He was homophobic, he swore, he certainly wasn’t talking about his Bond movies,” she said.
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“He downplayed the Queen a day after she died… It was absolutely unbelievable.
“At one point he named an Australian cricketer whose daughter he was chasing, and he said he dragged the daughter out of a pub and put her in a car in London, which again is of course horrific.
“It wasn’t even charming, it wasn’t even funny. It was creepy, it was offensive… He was disgusting, there’s no two ways about it.”
Another attendee told The West Australian newspaper the actor’s remarks were “self-interested misogynistic stories of George Lazenby’s sexual prowess, intimate details of diarrhoea and objectification of women.
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“It wasn’t until a brave member of the public shouted, ‘Excuse me, this is offensive’, that the tension was released and George was jeered off stage and music saved the day,”
Lazenby has since made a public apology, saying: “I am sorry and saddened to hear that my stories in Perth on Saturday might have offended some people.
“It was never my intention to make hurtful or homophobic comments and I am truly sorry if my stories that I have shared many times were taken that way.”
The tour’s production company Concertworks said it was “extremely saddened and disappointed” by Lazenby’s “language, comments and recollections” throughout Saturday’s show in Perth.
“These were his personal views and there is no excuse for this in today’s society. They do not reflect the views of Concertworks,” said the company’s lawyer, Aaron Kernaghan.
However, not all concert-goers agreed, with a second caller to 6PR defending the actor, saying his stories were a deliberate “exaggeration” for comedic effect.
“He didn’t kidnap [anyone], there was no r*pe. People were just getting so woke.
“[The show] was very entertaining until people were yelling out and booing.”
The actor was condemned by The West Australian Symphony Orchestra, who also performed at the show, in a statement.
They wrote: “His recollections were personal views that may have reflected a time where such behaviour was tolerated, but has never been acceptable.
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“His comments were his own and do not reflect our society today. His views are not shared or endorsed by WASO or Perth Concert Hall.”
Australia’s culture minister David Templeman added: “I understand that the audience made their views clear about the content and good on them. “