Ursula Andress in Dr. No: 13 Candid Behind-the-Scenes Images of Bond Girl 001

      With Dr. No, Ursula Andress set the benchmark for Bond girls in every subsequent James Bond film. Here are 13 behind-the-scenes shots of her on the set of the inaugural 007 movie.

      But First

      United Artists – Credit: C/O

      Indeed, Ursula Andress, who portrays Honey Ryder in Dr. No, is preceded on screen by Sylvia Trench (Eunice Gayson, left) and Miss Taro (Zena Marshall, above center).

      While both characters make noteworthy contributions to the film, Ryder (Andress, above right) stands out as the more prominent and iconic figure.

      Sitting on the floor is Sean Connery as James Bond, in a promotional photo for Dr. No.

      Enter Bearing Shells

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      Honey Ryder is a shell diver, and fittingly, she enters Dr. No carrying shells.

      If her opening outfit in the film — a white swimsuit with a belt — appears somewhat daring, keep in mind that in Ian Fleming's original work, she only dons the belt.

      Kudos to you, Dr. No. However, we suspect the decisions made by 1963's censors may have influenced this choice.

      Also Read: 12 Bond Girl Names Ranked, From Silly to Sensational

      ‘It Was Going to Be a Low-Budget Flop’

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      The scene where Ryder rises from the ocean singing "Underneath the Mango Tree" — with Connery’s Bond joining in — shifted the film's expectations.

      “‘It was going to be a low-budget flop,’” notes Chris Blackwell, son of Ian Fleming’s muse Blanche Blackwell, in the new Nicholas Shakespeare book Ian Fleming: The Complete Man. “Everything changed when we saw the rushes of Ursula Andress coming out of the sea.”

      He added: “It was electrifying. We suddenly thought, ‘Wow, we have a movie here.’”

      ‘Shooed Off Like Little Boys’

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      As per Shakespeare’s book, Fleming nearly ruined a take of that iconic beach scene. While walking with two friends along Laughing Waters — where the scene was filmed — he nearly walked into the frame.

      Director Terence Young shouted, “Lie down!” which they complied with. Shakespeare recounts: “The composer Monty Norman had just arrived in Jamaica to write the music and saw Young directing them — ‘They were shooed off like little boys.’ Ian and his friends were left behind a dune, forgotten, until someone remembered to release them an hour later.”

      That’s Andress with Ian Fleming, above.

      ‘This Bikini Made Me Into a Success’

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      Besides elevating Dr. No and launching the 007 franchise, the scene significantly impacted Andress’ acting career.

      She later stated: “This bikini made me into a success. After starring in Dr. No as the first Bond girl, I was free to choose my future roles and became financially independent.”

      This statement came after she discovered the bikini in an attic and auctioned it through Christie’s in 2001, fetching over $52,000.

      She and the bikini are shown above with Dr. No director Terence Young, center, and Sean Connery.

      Language

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      Andress, a Swiss national, is proficient in several languages — English, French, German, and Italian — but the producers decided to dub her lines with Nikki van der Zyl’s voice and her singing with that of Diana Coupland.

      She’s pictured above with Connery and Young.

      Also Read: 18 Bond Girls Behind the Scenes Through 007 Decades of James Bond

      Chemistry, Raw Chemistry

      United Artists – Credit: C/O

      Andress didn’t merely shine in a single scene. The publicity stills for Dr. No reflect the stunning chemistry between Connery and Andress, which was precisely the goal.

      “He was very protective of me, really sweet, and incredible,” Andress recalled in a 2020 interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera following Connery’s passing at 90. “He adored women; he was unmistakably very much a man.”

      ‘My First Film and Maybe My Last’

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      Ursula Andress told Corriere della Sera that when she joined the project, “I didn’t know Sean, and I believed it would be my first film and possibly my last.

      “However, it took off; the chemistry between us worked, and it was the ideal combination.”

      At Sea

      United Artists – Credit: C/O

      She also shared in the Corriere della Sera story: “We spent many evenings together, and he invited me everywhere, from Monte Carlo to London and New York. Since we met, we have always remained friends. Friends, friends.”

      At the time