The iconic Oscar-winning role Sean Connery turned down: “He thought it was disgusting”
Originating the character of James Bond in one of pop culture’s most monolithic properties ensured that Sean Connery was already a cinematic icon by the end of the 1960s, not that he struggled to maintain his stardom in the decades to come.
Radiating screen presence, carrying himself with a rugged sense of confidence and a popular target of impressionists and stand-up comedians everywhere thanks to his distinctive Scottish burr, Connery effortlessly navigated the potential pitfalls of leaving 007 behind to become a legend in his own right.
With an Academy Award for ‘Best Supporting Actor’ in Brian De Palma’s The Untouchables and powerhouse performances in box office hits and critical darlings like Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, The Man Who Would Be King, The Hunt for Red October, Marnie, The Rock, and many more under his belt, Connery left behind an impressive legacy.
However, there’s an alternate timeline out there somewhere where he made an even bigger impact on cinema, with the number of iconic roles Connery turned down bordering on the remarkable. He could have been The Lord of the Rings‘ Gandalf, Jurassic Park‘s John Hammond, The Matrix‘s Morpheus, and Harry Potter‘s Albus Dumbledore, missing out on some massive paydays as a result.
He was also under consideration to embody an antagonist who immediately wove themselves into the fabric of the cultural consciousness and landed the person who played it an Oscar for ‘Best Actor’. It would have required Connery to play against type and embrace his dark side, which is precisely why he rejected the overtures made by The Silence of the Lambs director Jonathan Demme.
“Sean Connery was the only other person I thought could be amazing for this,” the filmmaker told Deadline of his exhaustive search for the perfect Hannibal Lecter. “Connery has that fierce intelligence and also that serious physicality. I love Tony Hopkins, but Sean Connery could be amazing.”
As the bigger star, Demme confirmed that “to take the most commercial path, because Connery was flying very high at the time, we sent the script to Sean Connery first.” When the screenplay reached his desk, though, the star wasn’t exactly thrilled with what he read.
“Word came back shortly that he thought it was disgusting and wouldn’t dream of playing the part,” Demme confessed. “So, great, now we can go to Tony Hopkins.” With Connery out of the picture, Demme was free to return to a stage and screen veteran he was confident could bring Lecter to machiavellian life despite not being a household name on the same level.
While Connery sparring with Jodie Foster’s Clarice Starling in the classic psychological thriller could have been something special, it’s hard to say that Hopkins wasn’t perfect. After all, Lecter became the definitive role of his own stellar career, even if he wasn’t the first choice.
