Roger Moore, who played James Bond longer than any other actor, has complained that the 007 franchise has suffered a decline in quality in recent years. In an interview with Varsity , the student newspaper at Cambridge University in England, Moore expressed admiration for Daniel Craig's performance in the last Bond movie, Quantum of Solace , but he compared the movie itself to "a long disjointed commercial." Moore sidestepped the question when he was asked about the performance of the original Bond, Sean Connery. "Sean is a good actor; it's a pity I can't understand what he's saying," Moore replied. As for his own dream role, Moore remarked, "I'd have loved to have played Lawrence Of Arabia, and I'd have loved to have been as talented as Peter O'Toole" [who played Lawrence in the David Lean movie]. The newspaper observed that Moore responded to questions about his Bond days "with a concealed hint of weariness" and that his "legacy" may amount to both a burden and a source of pride to him. When he appeared at the Cambridge Union as a guest speaker Sunday night, it noted, he introduced himself by saying, "My name is Moore, Roger Moore."

01/11/2011