There are some parts of James Bond that are best kept in the past. Like the racism and sexism found in his movies from 1963 to ... well, almost all of them. But cut away the nasty bits and you’re left with a man who’s unfathomably cool under pressure and never lets his enemies know they have the advantage. That is, if they were lucky enough to have it to begin with.

There are two things that Bond’s adventures as an international superspy prove: 1) He will have sex with pretty much anybody, anytime. 2) He can and will defeat his enemies, regardless of the odds. Neither sounds too impressive on their own, especially when your idea of the character isn’t necessarily based on the movies or books, but on our shared cultural concept of what James Bond is. Of course, he would easily defeat and lay anyone/thing he wanted! But you don’t truly appreciate it until you watch the movies and see how every actor who has ever played him is terribly unequipped to do either of those things.

Up until Daniel Craig's shredded, bodybuilding version of Bond, every actor who played him had no realistic shot at defeating or mating with any of the people they encountered. They all shoot guns like they’re afraid of them backfiring. They all fight with kicks and punches that look like they're swatting at wasps. They kiss women like they learned how from CliffsNotes, 10 minutes before a pop quiz. Somehow, despite all that, the character still comes off as believable. We're pretty sure Larry The Cable Guy could play him, and it would still work.

That's because Bond's actions supersede his appearance. Everything he does is so slick, so charming and so badass that we can overlook the fact that most of the actors who portrayed him look like 6th grade history teachers.

8. Harriet The Spy