The ‘James Bond’ scene Sean Connery simply had to be drunk for
In the hands of Sean Connery, James Bond announced himself to the world as one of the coolest cats cinema had seen in a long time, with his introductory scene setting the stage for what would eventually become one of the longest-running and most popular franchises of all time.
Introducing himself at a casino as “Bond, James Bond”, the line instantly became a part of the character’s folklore, setting a template that every subsequent film would follow. Connery had a way about him that was hard t deny. Yes, he was funny and charismatic, but he had a steely machismo that seemed to dominate every scene.
Born out of a genuine off-stage toughness, Connery brought a resolve to Bond that has rarely been matched since. Connery’s poise, presence, and delivery make it seem like the most effortless thing in the world, but as it turned out, the actor had a lot of trouble nailing the delivery.
Despite literally being three words – one of which was repeated twice – getting it right proved to be a lot trickier than anybody would have thought. Co-star Eunice Gayson, who technically got there first when she opened the exchange by introducing herself as “Trench, Sylvia Trench”, revealed that Connery repeatedly stumbled over the straightforward dialogue.
The iconic moment is one of cinema’s most famous dialogues. It has now been routinely used across every single area of society today, but it wasn’t particularly easy to achieve. As she told Express: “It sounds like an easy take, but it wasn’t”.
Bond’s signature method of informing people of his identity has been parodied and imitated so often for so long that Connery’s initial verbal stumbles make it sound as though he was actively mocking 007, with Grayson claiming he would say things along the lines of “Sean Bond, Connery James” instead.
Given the iconic secret agent’s penchant for a martini shaken-not-stirred, it’s fitting that a little liquid courage ended up doing the trick. However, that didn’t come until Gayson shattered Connery’s sobriety in order to get the job done. Explaining how she was “seconded to take him into the restaurant and have a drink or two”, the star was admittedly “worried how it would affect him” after he’d been “on the wagon for several months before filming started”.
As it turned out, a couple of refreshments were precisely what was needed, but it came at a cost. In Gayson’s eyes, “every woman in the world wanted to meet Bond, James Bond after that”, but when director Terence Young told his leading man that was exactly how he wanted the line to be delivered in any remaining takes, Connery confessed to his scene partner that he couldn’t remember what he did.
Regardless of his inability to recall the exact inflexion, the take that did make it into the theatrical cut of Dr. No was nonetheless renowned as one of the most unforgettably iconic moments in cinema, thanks largely to his delivery. Connery may have tripped himself up in the beginning, but he got there in the end, giving rise to a seminal soundbite that became a part of the pop culture fabric in 1962 and has remained there ever since.
