Entertainment

On his majesty’s secret agent

Some Bonds are bigger than others. Roger Moore is one of them.

While some deride him for playing up the camp elements of the British super-spy, Moore nonetheless remains the most consistent actor to play 007, appearing in seven films — a tie with Sean Connery — in an unbroken run between 1973’s “Live and Let Die” and 1985’s “A View to a Kill.”

Out on Tuesday, Moore’s book “Bond on Bond” reveals a host of trivia and personal stories about Ian Fleming’s hero, as well as every other Bond, from Connery and George Lazenby to Daniel Craig.

After the recent 50th anniversary of the first Bond film, “Dr. No,” and in the run-up to his 85th birthday, which he celebrates today, The Post rang Moore at his home in Monaco.

Happy almost birthday, Sir Roger. We’re speaking on the phone, but it seems like James Bond would use something more technological, such as FaceTime or Skype.

Unlike Jim [his nickname for Bond], I am no longer very interested in fancy gadgets. Times have changed so much, and I am not technically minded. I do own an iPhone, but I never use it because I bought it in the US and haven’t been able to unlock it here in Europe. I use it solely for phone calls. There’s none of this texting business.

How do you feel about the movie version turning 50?

It goes to show what an enduring character he is. He’s been portrayed by six different actors, and we each brought something different to the role. Of course, I treated the whole thing rather tongue-in-cheek. I was only serious on a Friday when I tried to get my money.

You’ve joked that, according to the Internet, you’re the “worst Bond.” Does that annoy you?

I’m used to bad reviews. My favorite was for [the 1956 film] “Diane” opposite Lana Turner. I played [her lover] Prince Henri. The review for either Time or Newsweek, I don’t remember which, said “Lana Turner as Diane du Poitiers came onto the screen with a clattering of high heels and a flutter of false eyelashes, followed by a lump of English roast beef.”

How did you land the Bond role?

After three or four Bonds, Sean [Connery] was getting very fed up with the whole process. He felt like he lost his identity. [Fans] would call his wife “Mrs. Bond,” which he resented. I was on a shortlist of possible 007s to replace him because I’d been appearing [as a debonair thief] in the TV series “The Saint.” Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman [the Bond producers] were friends of mine because we met over the gambling tables. What better way for a potential Bond to meet his producers?

You discovered some small print in your contract after you’d signed, right?

I got a call [from the producers] saying, “Your hair is very long.” It was the ’70s and I’d been appearing in [another TV series], “The Persuaders,” and been playing it rather hippie, with long flowing locks. So I had to get inches of [it] chopped off.

They also made you get in shape.

Yes, we lived rather well making “The Persuaders.” When we drank Champagne, it wasn’t ginger ale in a glass. It was real Champagne. I overindulged. They decided that inches of waistline needed to come off, too. They weren’t going to let the trousers out.

When you are filming Bond, you have a routine. I got up very early, I worked out for 30 to 40 minutes at home. We didn’t have personal trainers, and I never went to a gymnasium. I hate those. I prefer to do sit-ups and push-ups under my own steam without listening to other people grunt. My grunts are enough.

Did you ever get injured playing Bond?

Well, I did get a few bruises and a few holes. Where most people have one hole, I have three. There’s a sequence in [1977’s] “The Spy Who Loved Me” where I nearly come a cropper [died].

The audience knows that the villain, Karl Stromberg, played by Curt Jurgens, is going to shoot a missile under a table at Bond. They had me standing behind a chair which had a steel back to it that so that, when the explosion took place, I would be wound-free. I, like a stupid idiot, suggested there would be more suspense if Bond was sitting.

Nobody mentioned that the seat of the chair was not reinforced. The special effects man was a little over-anxious and let off the explosion just before I got up from it. I was blown out of the chair and had smoldering holes in my back. Everyone thought it was a great joke until they saw the flames. It involved a hospital trip and a visit every day to the nurse at the studio to have the dressings changed.

Is your skiing as up-to-snuff as Bond’s?

This is something I would never normally admit to, but I feel we know each other well enough now. They have these extraordinary people who look just like you who can do the most extraordinary things on skis. Nevertheless, I was quite determined to learn when I realized I needed to look as if I knew what I was doing. It caused never-ending embarrassment to my children, whose school was based in Gstaad. When I was struggling with the art of not falling over and being able to stop on skis, they would plead, “Please don’t go on such and such a mountain tomorrow, as the school will be there.” They were so ashamed of me.

You write that you’ve always wanted to play a Bond villain.

I really feel the villains have the best time. They don’t have to work every day. Poor old Jim has to come in every day and all he ever gets to say is, “My name is Bond.” Whereas the villains get to say, “This is going to be the end of the world as you know it, Mr. Bond” or “Civilization will be re-created, blah blah blah.” They have all these wonderful speeches — and then they go home.

Who is your favorite Bond girl?

I never ever say which one is my favorite. I just say that Maud Adams, who did two Bonds [“The Man With the Golden Gun” (1974) and “Octopussy” (1983)], was a joy to work with.

How about that stunt at the Olympics with Daniel Craig and Queen Elizabeth?

It was absolutely marvelous. I was sitting wondering who it was doing this wonderful interpretation of the Queen.

It’s not out until Nov. 9, but have you had a sneak peek at “Skyfall”?

Not yet, I’ve just seen the trailers. I think Daniel Craig is really wonderful — a wonderful athlete, and I am quite convinced he is a killer. He is very, very Bond.