Jaclyn Smith revealed she passed up the opportunity to play a Bond girl in the 1979 film Moonraker, and the reason goes back to his Houston roots and a sense of loyalty that proved stronger than any Hollywood opportunity.
THE Charlie’s Angels the star, 80, made this revelation at PaleyFest Charlie’s Angels 50th anniversary reunion, explaining that she was under contract at the time and felt honored to follow through.
“I had a contract [for Charlie’s Angels] and, you know, education in Houston, you follow your contract,” she said.
“And Aaron [Spelling] was the first to invite me to the party, so I was honoring my contract.”
The role of Dr. Holly Goodhead in the Roger Moore Bond film ultimately went to Lois Chiles.
Smith said she has no regrets. “I think it wasn’t supposed to happen. I think things happen for a reason, really, so I have no complaints.”
She also revealed that Moonraker wasn’t the only major role that eluded him.
She was at one time considered Beetle juicealthough she admitted that she simply didn’t relate to the storyline.
“You read a script, and it doesn’t always feel true, and it’s about what you can bring to it,” she said.
The film’s female leads went to Catherine O’Hara, Geena Davis and a young Winona Ryder. Her husband, she noted with a laugh, never quite forgave her for this.
There was also a near miss with 9½ weekswhich she and John Travolta were about to make together.
“But I wasn’t really cut out for this one either,” she said. “So it was Kim Basinger and Mickey Rourke. You know, it happens.”
A look back at a career that included all of Charlie’s Angelsthe acclaimed TV movie Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy and recurring roles on CSI, Becker And All AmericansSmith was a philosopher.
“I think, certainly, I’m looking at my life the way it’s supposed to be, and it’s been a good journey. It’s definitely been a good journey.”
She also shared a revealing insight into how little trust the network initially had in Charlie’s Angelsdespite its extraordinary audiences.
The pilot aired as a two-part movie and blew up, and the network’s response was to air it again to see if it was a fluke.
This was not the case.
“They just thought these women playing men’s roles wouldn’t work,” Smith recalls. They haven’t even ordered a full season. It took a sustained run in the top ten before they finally accepted what they had.
