Sean Connery speaks in 1983 about taking the James Bond role

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Sean Connery would have turned 91-years-old today on August 25, 2021. The iconic Scottish actor made his debut as James Bond in the first-ever Eon film, 1962’s Dr No. He continued to star in the films with Eon until Diamonds are Forever, which was his last venture. By that point, however, ​he was fed up with playing the hero.

Connery became a little frustrated that the only role he was ever recognised for was ​for Bond.

Because of this, the star lashed out at the fictional character.

The star said: “I have always hated that damned James Bond. I’d like to kill him.” (Via The Guardian)

This isn’t the only thing he did to show his disdain for the character.

Connery donated his salary from his final Eon movie, Diamonds are Forever, to charity​ – a sum well over $1 million.​

In 2002 ​Connery also spoke candidly about what frustrated him about playing Bond.

He said: “Well, once you had done the first two [films], you just moved forward because the rules were established.

“One wound up doing less and less as it were, because you did what you were expected to do and whatever else up to a point.”

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Connery then made a comment about another Bond actor, saying: “I think if anyone, maybe Timothy [Dalton] made the mistake of thinking that it was going to be easier than it is.

“You have to work very hard to make something look easy. The movement, the fights, and whatever else are certain absurd situations.”

​Tensions rose ​with Connery ​while filming his Bond movies with the franchise’s producer​,​ Albert R Broccoli.

One instance ​involved Connery locking himself in his trailer when Broccoli visited the set of his movie.

After six films as Bond with Eon, Connery vowed never to return to ​play the hero ever again.

But 12 years later the star signed up to an independent Bond movie titled Never Say Never Again.

​The film company, ​Taliafilm​, produced the​ 1983 movie on a small budget of $36 million and adapted Ian Fleming’s novel Thunderball.

Speaking about returning to the franchise in the 1980s, he said: “It’s really dense in terms of the story and subplot and texture – It’s like a detective story – and I have to take quite a bit of responsibility for that.”

Connery continued: “I insisted that they go back to that sort of movie if I were going to do it, which, I suppose, is a certain kind of nostalgia on my part.”

On saying no to subsequent Eon Bond movies, he revealed: “To say no to all that wasn’t that difficult to me because I wanted to do different things.

“To say yes to [Never Say Never Again] wasn’t as definite. It came out of a series of situations … my wife had said why don’t you do it again? I thought about it and it didn’t seem like such a crazy idea.”

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