Timothy Dalton talks James Bond - `it was a bit imprisoning`

Timothy Dalton was James Bond in 1987s "The Living Daylights" and 1989s "Licence to Kill", but the former 007 actor does not often talk about his time in the tuxedo.

But at 8pm EDT on May 16, Dalton will portray the role of Amphitryon, the humiliated step-father of Hercules in the three-hour presentation of `Hercules` on NBC - reports MSNBC

Before taking on this project, the 59-year-old actor had only a superficial grasp of the Hercules legend.

`I thought it was just about a strong he-man. I didn`t realize it was quite a revolutionary story, too. The thing about the Jesus legend is it`s all about getting into a heaven outside earth. The Hercules legend is about finding, in a sense, heaven on earth by growing to your highest fulfillment.`

Dalton `keyed into this notion of fatherhood` as the hook to playing Amphitryon, describing how the character learns to love and support Hercules as though he were his own.

Speaking more generally of his film career, `It just happened, but I suppose there’s a side of myself that walks into the lion`s mouth, which I think I must stop doing,` he says, chuckling.

He views iconic screen roles as a stage actor might — worthy of continued reinterpretation.

`You can`t really beat what is already established as myth in people`s minds, but if something comes along and someone says `will you do this?` and the script is good — and as I`ve always loved a challenge — then you just say `Yes,` and see if you can dodge the arrows.`

His dark, tough interpretation of Bond was the target of a few of those arrows. An escape clause in his contract kicked in when extensive litigation between producers and studio delayed the start of his scheduled third 007 adventure. He escaped.

`It was a bit imprisoning, and still is to an extent,` he says.

Thanks to `Kyvan` for the alert.

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