James Bond legend Sean Connery reportedly turned down a role that could have potentially earned him an Academy Award. The Scottish actor, known for his roles in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, The Untouchables, and The Rock, has left a lasting legacy in Hollywood.
Despite winning Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards in 1987 for The Untouchables, Connery missed out on the chance to secure a second win as Best Actor a few years later. He, along with Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, were considered for a role that would eventually earn its performer an Oscar for one of the shortest performances ever nominated.
The film not only won an Academy Award for its lead star but also achieved a “Big 5” sweep – wins in the Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay categories. The Silence of the Lambs is the last film to achieve a “Big 5” win at the Oscars, and Connery could have been part of this success had he accepted the role of Hannibal Lecter.
Connery was in with a chance of the role, while fellow award winners Pacino and De Niro were only considered for the part. Fans are now speculating how Connery might have performed in the role, which ultimately went to Hollywood icon Anthony Hopkins.
One user commented: “To be honest, Hopkins’ interpretation was a huge part of the movie’s success. It may not have worked with those other actors.” Another agreed, stating: “I can’t imagine them pulling it off.”
However, another user suggested that a subtle addition to Connery’s performance could have “worked really well,” although it would have been a risk not necessary for the narrative. They commented: “However with Sean Connery there could have been this seductive male homme fatale aspect to Hannibal that wasn’t there in the original. Might have worked really well.. or not.”
Another agreed, adding: “I was just thinking about how easy it is to see Sean Connery being too macho with it.
Some users have disagreed though and say Connery in the role would have been a near-disastrous affair. They claimed: “I could see De Niro. Watch Cape Fear. He calculating and outright terrifying. Connery would have been almost comical, in a sad way.”
Others are saying the right choice was made after all, writing: “Movies that could have been great have failed because they were miscast; movies that should have been forgotten are classics because their actors found the role of a lifetime.
“Actors know this, and make their choices accordingly. I mean, really – they wanted Sean Connery to be Gandalf. Think of what we would have lost.”
Sean Connery passed away on October 31, 2020, aged 90. The Scottish actor died peacefully in his sleep in the Bagamas, having been “unwell for some time”, according to his son.