The 2012 Olympics were all about the world’s best athletes competing for gold, but Elizabeth II proved herself the queen of comebacks when she showed off not just her acting skills but her ability to think artistically. How? Looking back to the Opening Ceremony, the pageantry presented all sorts of iconic images and figures from Britain, including both James Bond and the queen. This gave Queen Elizabeth the chance to improvise opposite Daniel Craig himself.
When London hosted the 2012 Summer Games, it presented an Opening Ceremony by production designer Mark Tildesley. Mary Poppins descends to confront the Queen of Hearts, Industrial Revolution workers crafted the Olympic Rings, and the queen had a scene with 007, which had been written by Frank Cottrell Boyce. The minds behind this presentation have given unprecedented and remarkable insight into the queen’s participation in this huge endeavor, with some remarkable revelations.
Queen Elizabeth was enthusiastic for her scene with Daniel Craig as James Bond
It was Mark Tildesley who conceived the idea of Queen Elizabeth riding in a helicopter with James Bond to the Olympic Stadium before jumping out and diving through the air – which should have happened in a 007 movie by now. Appearing on BBC Breakfast, Cottrell Boyce had nothing but respect for the concept, saying, “Nobody had a better idea.” With the queen such a protected individual, as dictated by England’s national anthem, they assumed they would have to just do this scene independent of Her Majesty. So, they reached out for permission to just use a body double designed in the queen’s likeness.
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Queen Elizabeth’s dresser, Angela Kelly, queried, “Oh, why are you doing all this?” Opening ceremony producer Seaward explained, “So that we can make it look as though it’s the queen.” They didn’t even have to do that, though, as Kelly revealed, “Oh, the queen wants to do it.”
Queen Elizabeth went on to add to the scene even more
It was the cast addition anyone would only dare dream of for their creative project. But, Cottrell Boyce admits, he did not pen any lines for her, explaining, “Probably because when I was typing the script, I didn’t quite know how you would type the character of the queen … what would you type?” Elizabeth II had to be a skilled orator since she was young, when she was still a princess and her country was thrust into World War II and she sought to boost morale. This time, her speech was a bit shorter.
“On the day that we were filming, she said to Danny Boyle, ‘I think I think I should have a line,'” Cottrell Boyce revealed. That line ended up being a succinct, “Good evening, Mr. Bond.” He continued, “So she bagged that line, there wasn’t a line in the script – she improv’d.”
Watch Queen Elizabeth and James Bond team up in the video below!
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