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Compiled by: Jack Foley
IT IS one of the most enduring images of the Bond series - that
of a blonde temptress, emerging from the sea, in only a white
bikini. The original James Bond, Sean Connery, was mesmerized
by the moment, while audiences the world over continue to hold
their breath whenever it occurs (usually around Christmas - to
men, it's like the gift that keeps on giving!).
Well, that was back in the 1960s, and as James Bond enters the
Noughties, it is little wonder that the writers of Die Another
Day sought to recreate the moment.
Step forward, then, Oscar-winner, Halle Berry, who recreates the
scene in an orange bikini, to the amusement of Pierce Brosnan
as he watches from the shore with a pair of binoculars.
For Berry, the moment in question proved quite daunting, as she
explained at the London press conference for Die Another Day.
"I mean, who really wants to be compared directly to another
actress, or human being? So taking on that challenge of recreating
that moment, which really has gone down in Bond history and arguably
cinematic history, knowing right off the bat that I would be compared
to another woman and another performance, was daunting, and I
hoped that I could do it justice."
In truth, the scene could have been far more intimidating, given
that writers, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, originally envisaged
Berry emerging from the sea naked. But, in their words, director
Lee Tamahori ruined that plan...
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"That would have been very similar to how Honey Ryder
came out of the sea in the book, Dr No," explained Purvis.
"But Lee wanted to put the bikini on her, so from a writing
standpoint, the scene has been ruined."
Berry's modesty may have been spared for that scene, but the
actress confessed to at least two more moments of embarrassment
on-set.
"Choking on a fig was embarrassing. Especially since I'm
on top of Pierce Brosnan, trying to be as sexy as I possibly
can be, and then I start choking. And not being able to keep
up with Pierce as he was running - I swear like lightning -
along with this aeroplane. I thought I saw smoke coming out
of his shoes. That was pretty embarrassing."
Berry, though, remains extremely pleased with her performance
in the film, describing it as 'great fun and a new challenge',
and she refused to rule out the possibility of revisiting her
character, Jinx, in a spin-off movie (which would be the first
of its kind to emerge from the franchise).
The actress continues to be busy, however, and will soon be
seen reprising her role in another franchise, X-Men
2. But the notion of being overloaded with work since winning
the Oscar for her performance in Monster's
Ball is something she is keen to dismiss. When asked whether
the win had changed her life, she merely retorted:
"Yeah, on some levels it has changed my life, but in many
ways, it hasn't changed it at all. In many ways, I'm still exactly
the same person, and the struggles within this industry are
still the same, even though my peers give me more respect.
"I think a big misconception is that people think that
when you win an Academy Award, the script bus comes by your
house and drops off all these great scripts and projects, which
really doesn't happen. You still have to approach your career
in the same way and do the things that got you to that great
day, when you were lucky enough to win that award."
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