“I’d like to kill him”: Why did Sean Connery hate being James Bond?
While the legacy of the James Bond franchise has moved ahead in various directions, many fans still maintain that Sean Connery will always be the greatest Bond of them all. The actor has come to represent some of the more unsavoury aspects of the traditional character, and, in the 21st century, his role as Bond is considered problematic, to say the least. However, there’s a good chance that Connery himself wasn’t a fan of the secret agent.
Once described as the “biggest mass-cult hero” of the 1960s, Connery’s definitive portrayal of the British secret agent had a huge impact on cinema and popular culture. When many people think of Bond, it is Connery’s face that enters their mind’s eye. There can be no doubt that the name of Sean Connery is forever linked with 007.
Of course, Connery’s filmography extended far beyond the Bond films. Ranging from Alfred Hitchcock to Sidney Lumet, Connery collaborated with some of the greatest filmmakers in history. In addition to James Bond, he also became a part of another iconic franchise when he decided to star in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Elsewhere, Connery’s position as a swaggering, chiselled actor, capable of oozing so much charisma that you forget just how bad the movie he is in is, is nearly unmatched.
Despite the depth and range of his body of work, Connery’s rise to stardom is inevitably linked to his breakthrough as Bond. Initially, the actor was hesitant to dedicate himself to multiple projects, with him starring as Bond. Still, he knew that the success of the franchise would undoubtedly facilitate his meteoric ascent.
Featuring in multiple Bond movies, starting with Dr No, Connery’s version of Bond was voted by the American Film Institute as the third-greatest hero in film history. Although Ian Fleming was famously sceptical of Connery’s casting as Bond, the writer quickly saw his appeal when Dr No became an unprecedented success, and much of that was due to Connery’s ability to hog the camera and deliver the smarmy comedy and eyebrow-raising action of Bond.
While Connery always acknowledged that the Bond series helped him become a bonafide star, he became increasingly disillusioned with the role. Obviously, the whole world began associating him with the suave secret agent, but Connery felt that this was preventing audiences from seeing his true acting capabilities.
“[I am] fed up to here with the whole Bond bit,” Connery reportedly said while talking about his complicated relationship with the extensive mythology of James Bond that he had helped build. The actor famous declared: “I have always hated that damned James Bond. I’d like to kill him.”
While there is likely a little bit of Connery’s tongue pressed into his cheek here, it’s hard not to see how Bond would soon become an unwelcomed albatross strangling his neck and his career. It may have launched him, but it likely held him back as a serious actor, too. It’s an issue that Daniel Craig has more recently battled against.
Michael Caine once revealed: “If you were his friend in these early days, you didn’t raise the subject of Bond. He was, and is, a much better actor than just playing James Bond, but he became synonymous with Bond. He’d be walking down the street, and people would say, ‘Look, there’s James Bond’. That was particularly upsetting to him.”
It would appear that Connery’s issues with Bond were deep-seeded. The actor was happy to be an iconic character but likely never assumed it would follow him throughout his life. Despite Connery’s dislike for the role, his portrayal of Bond still remains a true fan favourite.
