“I’ve Always Hated That Damned James Bond. I’d Like To Kill Him”
Sounds like something every evil villain has said since the beginning of Bond, yet what if I told you that the line was spoken by none other than 007 himself.
What if I also told you that Bond creator Ian Fleming did not even appear on set for the filming of Dr. No until halfway through production – the reason the man playing his beloved Bond.
The space between these two anecdotes is vast as was the career of the actor chosen to bring Bond to the silver screen first, Sir Sean Connery. Sean Connery was among the many things 2020 took from humanity that year. The remembrances, including this one, harken back to a character that as you can see Connery disliked in a way only, he could understand. Connery disliked this character in ways that went beyond the outlandish stories or the backstage feuding – Connery did not like the person James Bond.
Why did Fleming not like the Connery selection?
How did we go from the green fields of Walt Disney’s Ireland to the Vegas strip in “Diamonds are Forever”?
The answers will in many ways mirror the decade of the 1960’s – Connery’s portrayal identified with a certain segment of society in a way that helped them define themselves in a decade where so many would clash on almost every major issue.
Connery had no control over this and no control over how it would impact both his professional and personal life. The quote above shows just how deep the resentment went for the role.
Connery as an actor demands a much larger scope, much larger than the iconic Bond gun barrel – Connery would go on to unquestionable success after Bond including winning an Academy Award.
That post Bond success would span 40+ years and even include one more pay day as 007 in the 80’s. Yet it would cost him the relationships that were the catalyst to his early success.
It can be argued that Connery is the only actor of the six that has successfully shaken the Bond tuxedo and found success in more varied, dramatic, and noteworthy roles. “No Time To Die” will provide Daniel Craig the springboard out of Bond and into the next phase of his career and there is no doubt that he will be looking at how Connery did just that – Escape Bond!
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