Sir Roger Moore in India
Interview for The Times of India, 29 March 2006

Roger Moore may have been every woman's action hero, but they may not relish his advice on looking young beyond his 79 years - wearing the same underwear.

"It has to be the same underwear... even though it may smell a bit now and then," he said laughing heartily, as he insists that he feels he has not changed one bit from the days he played Agent 007 in the James Bond films.

Leaning against the bastion walls at Senglea Point, with a backdrop of Fort St Angelo and the Grand Harbour, Sir Roger looks on appreciatively at the view and welcomes The Times "into my office".

In Malta for four days to shoot a television documentary on the disciples and the shipwreck of St Paul that will air in the US in September, the veteran British actor takes a short break from narrating.

Best known for his role in seven Bond films and playing Simon Templar in the 1960s television series The Saint, Sir Roger was knighted for his role as international goodwill ambassador with the United Nations children's fund Unicef.

Did he ever dream he would still be acting when he's pushing 80?

"I didn't expect to live beyond 28," he said, reminiscing about his mad lifestyle and commenting that he had a wonderful life.

Dressed in a blue shirt, under a navy blue sleeveless jacket, Sir Roger still oozes charm, and though looking good is important, it's not the be-all and end-all it used to be in his Bond era.

"Filming Bond we visited glamorous locations, but the thing is when you are making a Bond film your principal worry is that your shirt should not look sweaty, you should not be shiny and you always have to look cool," he said.

"Sometimes we worked in places where there was abject poverty. In retrospect, I think maybe I could have done a bit more, which is why I suppose I now work as hard as I can for UNICEF."

Poverty is one thing that Sir Roger wishes he could eradicate because he believes it's the root of all the suffering in the world.

"If we had the money we could make sure that everybody could have access to drinking water, we could ensure everybody lived in peace not war, and ensure the children are not enlisted and dragged away to fight."

Strangely enough, "The Man with the Golden Gun" has never liked guns and the image of him holding a weapon is not one he is particularly keen on promoting, especially since he did not wish to come across as a gun-totting hero with the younger generation.

"First of all I never liked guns. I hate them - I always blink before they go off. Unfortunately, children are encouraged to buy guns and play soldiers and all the games are so violent today. Fortunately, my grandchildren are girls and they're not as vicious and mean as little boys... At least I don't think so," he said, gently patting the wisps of hair back in place.

A Bond hero for so many years, Sir Roger has expressed his strong support for Daniel Craig, who has now donned the 007 mantle after Pierce Brosnan, in the light of strong criticism from Bond fans.

"The English press in particular were the first to start writing and getting on his back. It's not fair. Let him do the picture and then judge him. I've seen him act in 'Munich' and he was excellent. In fact, I felt he was the only one who looked well on the screen. He's a good actor," he said in his defence.

Sir Roger also dismissed the suggestion that Bond could be obsolete in the post-9/11 world.

"He's an action hero, a good man fighting evil. It's entertainment. I always looked upon Bond as a giant comic strip. Nothing about Bond is real. I mean the idea that a spy is known by everybody is ridiculous. Imagine, every barman in the world knew Bond and served him martinis," he said, before politely excusing himself to continue filming.

The documentary's executive producer, Paul Sharratt, described the locations in Malta as "paradise" praising the five-star accommodation, the food and the climate.

The crew's stay in Malta was coordinated by the history and culture segment of the Malta Tourism Authority.

© The Times Of India, 2006

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