Yaphet Kotto talks about his villainous role in `Live And Let Die`

When the publicity machine cranked up to promote the release of the James Bond film “Live and Let Die” in 1973, most of the press material focused on Roger Moore, who was making his first appearance as agent 007 - reports PopMatters.

Very little PR attention was given to Yaphet Kotto, who co-starred in the film as Dr. Kananga, aka Mr. Big, the ruthless leader of a worldwide heroin distribution scheme. Kotto thinks it was a historic bit of casting.

“It was the first time an African-American had been cast as such a well-educated villain in a high-profile film,” Kotto said. “I think the producers were apprehensive about how the public would react to that.”

The producers shouldn’t have been concerned. Kotto’s performance is one of the key reasons “Live and Let Die” remains one of the best Bond films in the series and arguably the best to star Moore. It’s one of the five titles included in the “James Bond Ultimate Edition Volume 3” (MGM, $89.98) which arrives on DVD next Tuesday. Bond Volume 4 also is being released that same day.

If Moore was nervous about taking on the 007 role, Kotto didn’t notice.

“To be honest, I really wasn’t paying that much attention to him,” Kotto said during a recent telephone interview. “I was concentrating on my character. Being able to do a part like that ... I thought it was a big step, a giant step for African-Americans in film.”

Kotto said it was a busy and interesting experience.

“The shoot took three to four months and we did a lot of traveling,” Kotto said. “During that time were in London, New Orleans, Jamaica and New York.”

Although Kotto has made dozens of movie and TV appearances, he is probably best known for the role of Lt. Al Giardello on the gritty “Homicide Life on the Street,” which ran from 1993 to 1999 on NBC. Understandably, he is proud of both the role and the show.

“The show had a unique style with its moving camera and angles,” Kotto said. “It was the sort of the thing you might see in foreign movies. But it was unique for American television at the time.”

“Homicide” took a while to catch on but began to get noticed by the third season. It went on to win numerous awards.

“We were lucky that we were with NBC,” Kotto said. “They believed in the show and stuck with it until it found an audience.”

Born in New York City in 1937, Kotto says he remembers the exact moment he dreamed of becoming an actor.

“I was standing on 42nd street and went into a movie theater to see ‘On The Waterfront’ (with Marlon Brando),” Kotto said. “When I came out of the theater, I knew right then that’s what I wanted to do - act.”

He began taking acting classes at age 16. Three years later, he made his stage debut as Othello. That soon led to Broadway and in 1969 he replaced James Earl Jones as the lead in “The Great White Hope.” By then, he also was appearing in movies. He won critical acclaim for his performance in “The Liberation of L.B. Jones” (1970) and, afterwards, his career escalated, eventually leading to his role as Mr. Big.

Asked where he would rank “Live and Let Die” among the Bond films, Kotto laughed.

“When I think of James Bond, I immediately think of Sean Connery,” Kotto said. “My favorite Bond film is ‘From Russia With Love’ (Connery’s second as 007). That fight on the train is one of the most realistic I’ve ever seen. Sean Connery will always be James Bond to me.”

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