Sean Connery may be considered the greatest actor to have played James Bond, but on meeting him, creator Ian Fleming had one big issue.
SUMMARY
Bond fans remain fiercely opinionated about casting, with Sean Connery receiving heavy criticism from creator Ian Fleming.
Producers credit Connery’s self-confidence for making Bond an icon, with doubts on whether others could have pulled it off.
The role of James Bond remains vacant, with speculation surrounding potential stars including Aaron Taylor-Johnson.
Sean Connery received a rather brutal reaction from James Bond creator Ian Fleming when he was cast in Dr. No. Although the iconic Scot still now sits atop many fan’s lists as the greatest actor to play the super spy, Fleming’s first meeting with Connery did not instantly please the writer.
The casting of James Bond is always a contentious issue, with many fans sharing their own opinions on any new star to take on the 007 mantle. While some have been met with general approval, many have been forced to prove themselves in the wake of much negativity.
Daniel Craig’s casting was balked at before the release of Casino Royale, and the idea of a new actor coming in to take over following his departure is sure to stir up the same strong reactions.
However, even the original Bond did not escape some scathing comments – but these were directly from the character’s creator himself.
Fleming’s hesitance to have Connery lead the first big screen outing for Bond in 1962 was revealed in a new book, Ian Fleming: The Complete Man, which was released on Tuesday.
According to the biography, Fleming was “shocked” when he came face to face with the actor, and was instantly put off by the fact he “couldn’t speak the Queen’s English.” Fleming’s agent recalled:
Fleming said, ‘He’s not my idea of Bond at all, I just want an elegant man, not this roughneck,’
Of course, history would prove Fleming’s opinion pretty irrelevant in the wake of the huge success of Connery’s performance in the first five movies of the franchise, and also his return for Diamonds Are Forever and the unofficial Never Say Never Again.
Bond Producers Believe Sean Connery Made the Character an Icon
When it comes to the success of the James Bond franchise, there are many actors who have brought their own style to the character. However, whether any of them would have had a chance to play the world’s greatest spy without Connery blazing a trailer through the ‘60s is something that franchise producer Michael G. Wilson is not certain of. In the book he says:
Sean Connery was the right guy in the movie for the right time. If it hadn’t been Sean, who knows? Would it have captured the attention of the whole world?
Backing up this opinion, fellow long-time Bond producer Barbara Broccoli explained exactly how Connery almost forced people to notice the character. She adds:
“It was the sheer self-confidence he exuded. He walked like the most arrogant son-of-a-gun, you’ve ever seen – as if he owned every bit of Jermyn Street from Regent Street to St James. ‘That’s our Bond,’ I said.”
The idea of a female James Bond was first suggested before Sean Connery took the role in 1962’s Dr. No, a new Ian Fleming biography reveals.
Currently, the role of James Bond is vacant and waiting for the next star to take over one of the most coveted roles in Hollywood. Despite Daniel Craig bowing out of playing Bond in 2021’s No Time to Die, there has still been no official decision made about where the franchise will go next and who will be stepping into the sharp suits and smart cars of British Intelligence’s finest globe-trotter.
With fan-casting for stars such as Henry Cavill and Idris Elba seeming to have fallen by the wayside, Aaron Taylor-Johnson is the frontrunner in the race to bring Bond back from the dead. Until there is an official announcement, though, it is hard to predict exactly who will appear on screen next in the role.
