Ursula Andress in Dr. No: 12 Behind-the-Scenes Images of Bond Girl 001

      With Dr. No, Ursula Andress set the benchmark for Bond girls in all subsequent James Bond films. Here are 13 behind-the-scenes photos of her from 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 add depth to the film, Ryder (Andress, above right) stands out as the more significant and iconic figure.

      On the floor, of course, is Sean Connery as James Bond in a promotional image for Dr. No.

      Enter Bearing Shells

      United Artists

      Honey Ryder's role involves shell diving, and fittingly, she enters Dr. No carrying shells.

      Although her initial outfit in the film—a white swimsuit with a belt—may seem a bit revealing, it's worth noting that in the Ian Fleming novel that inspired Dr. No, she is shown wearing only the belt.

      Kudos to Dr. No for its restraint. However, we suspect that the censors of 1963 may have also played a role in this choice.

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

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

      United Artists – Credit: C/O

      The sequence featuring the shells, where Ryder rises from the water singing “Underneath the Mango Tree”—with Connery’s Bond joining in—changed the initial expectations for the film.

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

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

      ‘Shooed Off Like Little Boys’

      United Artists – Credit: C/O

      According to Shakespeare’s book, Fleming nearly ruined a take of the famous beach scene. He was taking a stroll along Laughing Waters—the beach where the scene was shot—with two friends and nearly walked into the frame.

      Director Terence Young shouted to them to “Lie down!” which they promptly did. Shakespeare notes: “Composer Monty Norman had just arrived in Jamaica to compose the score, and he witnessed Young’s reprimand—‘They were shooed off like little boys.’ Ian and his friends ended up lying behind a dune, forgotten until someone remembered to let them go an hour later.”

      That’s Andress with Ian Fleming above.

      ‘This Bikini Made Me Into a Success’

      United Artists – Credit: C/O

      Not only did the scene elevate Dr. No—and thus launch the 007 franchise—but it also significantly advanced Andress’s acting career.

      She remarked: “This bikini made me into a success. Because of Dr. No and being the first Bond girl, I was able to choose my future roles and achieve financial independence.”

      She made this comment after rediscovering the bikini in an attic and auctioning it through Christie’s in 2001, where it sold for more than $52,000.

      She and the bikini are also seen with Dr. No director Terence Young in the center, along with Sean Connery.

      Language

      United Artists – Credit: C/O

      Andress, a Swiss national, speaks several languages—English, French, German, and Italian—but the producers chose to overdub her lines with Nikki van der Zyl's voice and her singing with that of Diana Coupland.

      She is 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

      Of course, Andress didn't merely shine in one moment. The promotional photos for Dr. No highlight the electric chemistry between Connery and Andress, which was precisely the goal.

      “He was very protective of me; he was charming and wonderful,” Andress stated in a 2020 interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, reflecting on Connery’s death. “He adored women; he was definitely very much a man.”

      ‘My First Film and Maybe My Last’

      United Artists – Credit: C/O

      Andress shared with Corriere della Sera that upon joining the film, “I didn’t know Sean, and I thought this would be my first film and possibly my last.

      “But then it took off—the chemistry worked between us and it turned out to be the perfect blend.”

      At Sea

      United Artists – Credit: C/O

      In the Corriere della Sera interview, she remarked: “We spent many evenings together, and he would take me everywhere—Monte Carlo, London, New York