Smith wrote in her new memoir about being offered a part in “Moonraker.”

Jaclyn Smith turned down role in James Bond movie because of Charlie’s Angels scheduling conflict

Smith wrote in her new memoir about being offered a part in “Moonraker.”

By Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt

Raechal Shewfelt is a writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2024. Her work has previously appeared on Yahoo and in American *Journalism Review* and *The Shreveport Times*.

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September 12, 2026 8:00 a.m. ET

Jaclyn Smith in 2026. Credit:

Steve Granitz/FilmMagic

- Jaclyn Smith writes in her new book that she declined to be in the 1979 James Bond movie *Moonraker*.

- Filming for the movie would’ve conflicted with her shooting schedule for *Charlie’s Angels*.

- The actress played Kelly Garrett on all five seasons of the beloved action show.

Jaclyn Smith was *this *close to joining the James Bond saga.

The star of the original *Charlie’s Angels* wrote in her new book, *I Once Knew a Guy Named Charlie*, that she was offered a Bond girl role, but she couldn’t play it because it was shot at the same time as her action show.

“I was offered the part of Holly Goodhead in *Moonraker*, the 1979 James Bond film that’s considered one of the best of the entire series,” Smith wrote. “It would have reunited me with my *Switch* costar Richard Kiel, a.k.a. Jaws.”

Kiel, who costarred alongside Smith in a 1975 TV series, played the character of Jaws in multiple Bond films, including *Moonraker*.

But Smith’s casting was not to be.

“When I asked [producers] Aaron [Spelling] and [Leonard Goldberg] about *Moonraker*, they said it conflicted with the *Charlie’s* shooting schedule—a schedule they weren’t willing to change. So I turned down the part.”

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Smith, who costarred on the series for five seasons, from 1976 to 1981, wasn’t bitter about not joining the lucrative franchise. Her costars included Farrah Fawcett, Kate Jackson, and Cheryl Ladd.

“There’s a saying in Texas: Dance with the one who brought you,” the Houston native explained. “I felt like I couldn’t fight for the part in *Moonraker* because my first commitment was to the show, and to Aaron. There would be more opportunities. Sure, *Moonraker *might have made a big impact on my career, but who knows? I tend to believe that all things happen for a reason, so while I was disappointed, I didn’t dwell on it.”

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The part went to Lois Chiles, one of Robert Redford’s costars in 1974’s *The Great Gatsby*, who would go on to appear in the 1987 movie *Broadcast News*.

Smith explained that she was rewarded for her loyalty when Spelling asked her to be in the 1978 TV movie *The Users*, which was co-written by Dominick Dunne.

Jaclyn Smith in ‘Charlie’s Angels’ circa 1978.

Silver Screen Collection/Getty

“The plot was boy-meets-girl and fish-out-of-water and rags-to-riches, all rolled into one,” she wrote. “I would play the part of Elena, a small-town prostitute hired by a movie producer (George Hamilton) to boost the ego of his insecure, faltering star, played by Tony Curtis, while they filmed on location. Tony’s character falls for Elena, brings her to Beverly Hills, and introduces her to the wild world of Hollywood.”

Smith said she was “glad” the movie was “made under Aaron’s watchful eye.”

Spelling died in June 2006. He was 83.

*I Once Knew a Guy Named Charlie *is available in bookstores everywhere.

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