BOND THAT TIES GRACE JONES TO HOLLYWOOD

Grace Jones was hours late for the shooting of a new Honda motor scooter commercial. Manager Bob Caviano was apologetic, blaming unexpected complications. Please be patient , he advised.

But the folks from the ad agency were nervous. They paced the huge Hollywood sound stage, huddling anxiously with the staff from the Honda home office. Millions were riding on this campaign to erase the old notion that these shiny new scooters were just for nerds. The new gospel: If someone as hip and exotic (and trend-setting) as Grace Jones can ride a scooter, you should ride one too.

The commercial is scheduled to air by June 1, coinciding with the release of “A View to a Kill,” the new James Bond movie that will expose her to an entirely new public.

Jones, long known in pop and photography modeling circles for her flesh ‘n’ fantasy escapades, plays May Day--the lethal sidekick of a mysterious industrialist (Christopher Walken) whose evil mind has devised a foolproof plot to corner the world micro-chip market.

May Day is described in the MGM/UA press kit as “a woman who commits herself to murder and love-making with equal amounts of passion.”

If that sounds like a healthy dose of good 007 fun, the Honda set certainly provided no parallel emotion. As the hours crawled by, the film crew turned to jokes to combat the boredom caused by what seemed to be yet another prima donna.

“It’s a good thing this is a scooter commercial,” one of them quipped. “If she were going to ride a horse, it would have died of old age by now.”

Finally: the moment of truth. Four hours after the shoot was to have begun, Jones swept into the room, wearing a black leather jacket (no blouse) and matching pants. Sitting atop a bright red scooter, she rehearsed her lines a couple of times, then read them for the camera.

She fixed her penetrating eyes in a cold stare that would make a charging mountain lion reassess the situation. Her novel hair style--resembling both a golf tee and an old-fashioned bellman’s cap--suggested a daring that extends far beyond normal boundaries. This woman seemed capable of anything.

The commercial opens with a shot of a bassinet full of 45 babies set against narration that suggests, “We all start out pretty much the same.” It then switches to a shot of Jones concluding, “But where you go from there . . . is entirely up to you. “

The takes went marvelously and the crew, ad men and agency reps burst into applause: “A real pro!” “A jewel!” “Sensational!”

Despite the potential hostility resulting from the late arrival, Jones took control and charmed everyone in the process. She joked with crew members between takes and was willing to do the scene any way the director suggested. She may have a kooky image--or is it kinky?--but she’s smart, strong-willed, ambitious. She knows how to intrigue, disarm, intimidate. Forget James Bond. In a fair fight, Jones would figure out a way to win.

Given her success with stark images, it was surprising to see Jones be so natural and warm with the film crew. But it was even more unexpected the night before to see her be equally charming on national TV with Johnny Carson. Where many performers would try to reinforce their successful persona, Jones threw hers away.

Resting on a couch in a dressing room trailer after the commercial shoot, Jones stressed the importance of sometimes stepping away from the image. It was midnight by now and she had a splitting headache, but the pro in her made her go through with the scheduled interview.

“Most performers take themselves too seriously,” she said. “They forget there is a difference between the characters they play on the screen or stage and themselves, but the public doesn’t forget there is a difference. They see how silly it is if you try to be the same person all the time.

“On a show like last night, the important thing is to have a lot of fun and enjoy yourself. Everybody sees your ‘character’ every day on the TV series or whatever as a certain character. Why go on as the same damn thing? It’s so boring. I don’t think the guy last night from ‘Three’s Company’ (John Ritter) was being himself. What did he say? I can’t remember one word he said.”

About her own outspoken manner and striking image, she added: “As a little child, I wasn’t allowed to do anything because I was raised by my grandparents (in Jamaica) and they were very strict . . . no television, no radio, no movies, nothing. I wasn’t even allowed to straighten my hair or wear open-toed shoes. They thought I was being too worldly.

“I didn’t even have a sense of who I was except the daughter of this person and the niece of that one. Even when I moved to Syracuse to live with my parents when I was 13, I had to go by strict rules. I decided when I left home I was going to completely freak out and find out who I am. I’ve been searching ever since. The one thing I told myself: Never compromise.”

Jones, who is in her early 30s, first gained attention as a model in Paris, where her radical persona made her the toast of the town. She then was hailed as a pop performer who came up with such seductive disco-new wave gems as “Pull Up to the Bumper.” She also was a hit in concert, where she challenged audiences with a bold, liberating persona that aligned her with such pop-rock figures as David Bowie. The message: It’s OK to be different.

Her main career goal, however, has always been films. Even as a child, she was intrigued by movie stars.

“I loved all those classic figures from the ‘30s and ‘40s . . . Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Humphrey Bogart, Rita Hayworth,” she said. “They had such glamour and style. I loved the movies of those times too--so much attention paid to details, lights, clothing, the way the studios would develop talent. There’s just not that care anymore in Hollywood. That’s why I haven’t made a film yet in Hollywood. The two (major) movies I’ve made were only distributed by Hollywood.”

Jones recognized early that she was good at attracting attention. “The more different you looked the more attention people would pay to you,” she said. “Being different came to me naturally. Besides, I was different by the time I got to Syracuse. I had this funny accent and I was from Jamaica.

“I saw that people were fascinated by my (stark) aura. But that’s just me. It’s something that comes from my grandfather. He’s 95, and I was in Jamaica for his birthday and people are afraid to approach him. He’s got this independent, ‘I-don’t-need-you’ attitude, and I’m like that too.”

Though she made her major film debut in “Conan the Destroyer” last year, Jones--a big Bond fan herself--had already landed the part in the Bond movie. In fact, co-producer Albert R. Broccoli had been after her for some time, but their schedules didn’t work out, she said.

“They were looking for real muscular women for the Bond girls, these body-building types, but Mr. Broccoli said they were just too much muscle, really ugly. I had the right amount of muscles and feminine qualities.”

She added with a laugh, “I looked believable, like I could kill .”

The transition from pop music to films is a difficult one that even such likely hotshots as Mick Jagger and David Bowie still haven’t fully mastered.

“When you become such a strong personality in music, it’s hard for people to accept you as a different character,” she said. “The difference in my case is I always did theater. I always did acting with my music. I wasn’t there with a band, jumping up and down on the stage. I was a character who happened to sing.”

In the future, she’s aiming for a balance between movies and music. Her first album for her new label, Manhattan Records, is due this fall, and she may tour late in the year. Meanwhile, she is considering several more film offers.

“I feel very good about my career because I’ve never had to compromise,” she said. “The trouble with so many people is they want to be part of the gang. They want to feel safe and fit in. You get married because society says you should do this or that. But look at society: It’s always changing its mind about what is right to do.

“I believe in individuality, that everybody is special, and it’s up to them to find that quality and let it live. It’s like the commercial: ‘Where you go is entirely up to you .’ ”