George Lazenby, best known for his take on James Bond in the 1969 film “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”, has issued an apology after he was accused of making “disgusting” comments.
During a recent onstage interview for the Australian tour, “The Music of James Bond”, which Lazenby is a part of, the actor offended a number of audience members at the Perth show.
READ MORE: Daniel Craig Remembers Queen Elizabeth’s ‘Funny’ Spirit And ‘Incomparable Legacy’
“I am sorry and saddened to hear that my stories might have offended some people,” the actor said in a statement via Twitter, responding to the backlash.
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. I only ever wish to share pic.twitter.com/zD9jEazNm2
— George Lazenby (@lazenbyofficial) September 12, 2022
Following the incident, Lazenby, 83, was removed from all of the tour’s future performances after Concertworks, the show’s production company, chose “to discontinue its relationship with Mr Lazenby.”
The company added that they are “extremely saddened and disappointed” by Lazenby’s “language, comments and recollections” and that they have begun “a thorough review of the matter.”
“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 Aaron Kernaghan, the company’s lawyer.
READ MORE: Former James Bond George Lazenby Says Margot Robbie Should Be The Next 007
As a result, Concertworks is issuing refunds to concertgoers from Saturday’s show.
According to an audience member, Lazenby spent his interview during the show “talking about basically his sexual conquests”.
“He was homophobic, he swore, he certainly wasn’t talking about his Bond movies,” the source told Perth radio station 6PR, adding, “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,” she continued.
“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.”
READ MORE: Idris Elba Is Tired Of Being Asked About Those James Bond Rumours: ‘I Have No More Answers’
Another concertgoer said the interview consisted of “self-interested misogynistic stories of George Lazenby’s sexual prowess, intimate details of diarrhea and objectification of women.”
“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 offstage and music saved the day,” the source told the West Australian newspaper.
An additional attendee, who was also a caller to 6PR, defended Lazenby, claiming his stories were meant to be comical through intentional “exaggeration.”
He didn’t kidnap [anyone], there was no rape. People were just getting so woke. [The show] was very entertaining until people were yelling out and booing.”