James Bond is certainly one of the most iconic characters Hollywood has ever seen. For more than half a century, the ultimate spy hero has regularly left his on-screen adversaries stunned and viewers in awe with his suave personality and equally smooth way of working.
We can write a whole separate article on the iconic 007 number and Aston Martin cars attached to the character, and still, we’d only manage to touch the tip of the iceberg. Accordingly, for now, we’ll just focus on Sean Connery and his thoughts on an actor who supposedly turned the iconic British Secret Intelligence Service Agent into a “parody.”
How Sean Connery Set the Standard for How James Bond Should Be Portrayed
Sean Connery was the first actor to bring James Bond to the big screen with Dr. No in 1962. Based on the spy novels by author Ian Fleming, the first story sees Agent 007 face an eccentric scientist, Dr. No, who is determined to ruin the US space programme.
The movie was a smashing hit, garnering $59.5 million, and subsequently opening doors for future installments. Connery, meanwhile, set the template for the character through his assertive and masculine display.
His Bond didn’t have the intellectual might of someone like Sherlock Holmes, but he was reckless, which meant no challenge deterred him. Fascinatingly, the same applied to his romantic side. No woman was out of the league of the charismatic womanizer. In short, he was a winner in every field.
Connery featured in seven James Bond movies between 1962 and 1983 before departing the franchise. In between, the Scottish actor had a love/hate relationship with the producers, which opened doors for George Lazenby and Roger Moore to present their respective iterations of Bond.
Why Sean Connery Wasn’t a Big Fan of Roger Moore’s James Bond
Moore featured as Bond in seven films between 1973 and 1985, including Live and Let Die (1973), which earned plenty of plaudits for its fun, witty, and absorbing storyline.
However, while speaking about the difference between his Bond and Moore’s, Connery suggested he didn’t enjoy his counterpart’s work as much.
“I played Bond with the reality, credibility, and hopefully still encompassing stance and effect and what have you, and out of it some indigenous humour,” Connery said (via Independent). “And anything that happens is possible.”
He continued: “His [Moore] is a sort of parody of the character, as it were, so you would go for the laugh or the humour at whatever the cost of the credibility or the reality.”
The late actor seemingly felt his interpretation did a lot more justice to the secret spy from the pages of Fleming. Considering Connery was the first to climb the mountain, it’s only fair to give careful consideration to his analysis, however brutal it may seem.
