Stuntman Greg Powell On Bond

By: Jon Auty

Published:
2004-09-06

This interview with Greg Powell was conducted by our friend, Jon Auty (Websites: Twitter and Issuu)

Greg is the older son of Nosher Powell (1928-2013) who worked on every Bond film from From Russia with Love (1963) to A View to a Kill (1985).

JOHN AUTY (JA): Your first Bond was The Spy Who Loved Me. What was your involvement in the tanker sequence?

GREG POWELL (GP): We were involved in the fire fight mainly. Martin Grace and myself were doing trampoline explosions and I’m forever grateful to Bob Simmons for giving me the chance to do my first high fall.
He wanted a few stuntmen to jump from the gantry into the water, and I nearly kissed his feet when he asked me if I wanted to have a go. Mind you back then we didn’t have the technology we have today. I remember a few stunt guys being attached to wires and jerked backwards into the water after an explosion, but the difference between then and now was the logistics. The wires went up into the rafters where several special effects men had attached them to blocks of concrete. On action the concrete was kicked off the edge and the stuntmen flew backwards into the water. Crude but effective!!

JA: For Your Eyes Only took you to Spain and saw you shot with Melina’s crossbow.

GP: That’s right, I started up next to the tree with that bird, who is now married to Robson Green I believe, Cubby Broccoli wouldn’t let me take her out first! Anyway Bond causes a commotion by the pool and I run up to meet him. Then Clive Curtis shouts at me to chase him down to his car.

JA: You were really flying down that hill with all guns blazing.

GP: I could run a bit back in those days, my knees aren’t what they used to be. Johnny Eaves fired the crossbow and we attached it to fish wire so that it would fly straight into my chest.

JA: You would have met the future Bond on that picture too?

GP: Yeah, but we just knew him as Cassandra Harris’s husband. So we were all playing football on the beach and we told him to get lost and play elsewhere……….all in good spirits mind you!

JA: You had an entire fight with Connery in Never Say Never Again that was cut from the movie didn’t you?

GP: Yes I did. We filmed it and Connery was very active during the fight. I think Vic would probably have doubled him, but we had a tussle that ended with me being thrown from a balcony. It was about 10ft down onto the floor and we had a box rig set up. As soon as I hit the boxes Connery screams and jumps down after me, totally unscripted, but good to see. I suppose they cut it out because of time or money. Anyway I was supposed to be starting work on Octopussy but I’d said yes to this one and I don’t think Barbara Broccoli has forgiven me since.

JA: What about TWINE and that restaurant sequence?

GP: I was sat at a table with Roy Alon and Helen Caldwell waiting for my brother, Gary, to crash through the wall, which was very exciting. Mind you we didn’t know he was coming through when he did. Most directors will film a rehearsal so that they can make any changes they need to for the final shot. Vic shouts “Action”, and I thought I’d play along so I got a cheese straw to my lips when CRASSSSSSH!! In comes Gary. Next thing I knew I was on the floor, laughing.
That’s the great thing about the Bond movies; you're always guaranteed a good laugh!

This is part of a much longer interview featured in issue 3 of STUNTS magazine.

Our thanks to Jon Auty for letting us reproduce this interview on From Sweden With Love.

For more information about Greg Powell, visit his official website:

www.stuntsworldwide.com

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Stuntman Greg Powell On Bond

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