WEBVTT 00:00:00.360 --> 00:00:03.259 That three word line delivered with just this 00:00:03.259 --> 00:00:06.820 icy, almost disdainful style bond, James Bond. 00:00:07.400 --> 00:00:10.339 It's it's arguably the most famous self -introduction 00:00:10.339 --> 00:00:12.839 in all of cinema history. It really is. I mean, 00:00:12.859 --> 00:00:15.160 the American Film Institute ranked that character 00:00:15.160 --> 00:00:17.679 as the third greatest hero ever to be on the 00:00:17.679 --> 00:00:19.620 silver screen. It's iconic. But today we are 00:00:19.620 --> 00:00:23.320 diving deep into the man who embodied that line 00:00:23.320 --> 00:00:26.079 and then kind of paradoxically spent the next 00:00:26.079 --> 00:00:28.480 40 years trying to escape it. Sir Thomas Sean 00:00:28.480 --> 00:00:31.050 Connery. And we have a really deep and comprehensive 00:00:31.050 --> 00:00:34.130 stack of sources for this one. They trace Connery's 00:00:34.130 --> 00:00:36.609 life right from his, you know, working class 00:00:36.609 --> 00:00:40.030 beginnings as a milkman in Edinburgh. A milkman. 00:00:40.049 --> 00:00:42.189 It's incredible. All the way through to becoming 00:00:42.189 --> 00:00:44.590 a global cinematic knight. So our mission today 00:00:44.590 --> 00:00:46.789 is really to excavate those crucial, often unexpected 00:00:46.789 --> 00:00:50.179 nuggets of knowledge. The grit, the politics, 00:00:50.399 --> 00:00:52.979 the really surprising non -bond career moves. 00:00:53.179 --> 00:00:55.039 Yeah. All the things that reveal the complexity 00:00:55.039 --> 00:00:57.659 and just the relentless determination of a man 00:00:57.659 --> 00:00:59.520 who is constantly seeking to redefine himself 00:00:59.520 --> 00:01:02.079 really is against his own fame. And you mentioned 00:01:02.079 --> 00:01:04.459 his early life informed his character, and that 00:01:04.459 --> 00:01:06.359 just feels like such a crucial thread running 00:01:06.359 --> 00:01:08.700 through all of the source material. He wasn't 00:01:08.700 --> 00:01:11.040 simply a film star. He was, I mean, it was a 00:01:11.040 --> 00:01:13.620 study in strategic personal reinvention. It was. 00:01:13.719 --> 00:01:16.239 Always fighting against this suave, polished 00:01:16.239 --> 00:01:18.840 persona that he sort of accidentally created. 00:01:19.420 --> 00:01:21.640 What's truly fascinating when you dig into it 00:01:21.640 --> 00:01:24.459 is how much that tough, grounded upbringing in 00:01:24.459 --> 00:01:28.420 Scotland informed the raw charisma and, well, 00:01:28.519 --> 00:01:31.120 the genuine hard man edge he later projected 00:01:31.120 --> 00:01:33.159 on screen. Right. We're going to look at the 00:01:33.159 --> 00:01:35.959 critical, really pragmatic decisions he made. 00:01:36.200 --> 00:01:38.260 Things like, you know, quitting professional 00:01:38.260 --> 00:01:41.140 bodybuilding because he wouldn't sacrifice athleticism 00:01:41.140 --> 00:01:44.120 for just pure bulk. Amazing decision when you 00:01:44.120 --> 00:01:46.000 think about it. And then the ultimate sacrifice 00:01:46.000 --> 00:01:48.819 he made later in life, turning down just astronomical 00:01:48.819 --> 00:01:51.579 paydays for roles he didn't intellectually connect 00:01:51.579 --> 00:01:54.420 with. Those decisions, at the end of the day, 00:01:54.540 --> 00:01:57.359 defined his long -term success. They forced the 00:01:57.359 --> 00:01:59.519 world to recognize him as a great actor, not 00:01:59.519 --> 00:02:01.939 just a spy. Okay, let's unpack this biography 00:02:01.939 --> 00:02:04.239 because the contrast between his roots and his 00:02:04.239 --> 00:02:08.199 global image is just astonishing. It really is. 00:02:08.259 --> 00:02:10.240 I mean, when we picture James Bond, we conjure 00:02:10.240 --> 00:02:13.460 up these images of bespoke suits, Aston Martins, 00:02:13.520 --> 00:02:15.460 high -stakes poker, or Monte Carlo. Of course. 00:02:15.719 --> 00:02:18.379 But when we talk about Thomas Sean Connery, we 00:02:18.379 --> 00:02:21.340 begin so far from that glamour. We start at the 00:02:21.340 --> 00:02:23.560 Royal Maternity Hospital in Edinburgh, where 00:02:23.560 --> 00:02:27.129 he was born on August 25, 1930. And the sources 00:02:27.129 --> 00:02:29.650 really paint such a vivid picture of his foundation. 00:02:29.990 --> 00:02:32.650 He was brought up at number 176 Fountain Bridge, 00:02:32.930 --> 00:02:34.889 which was a block of tenements that has since 00:02:34.889 --> 00:02:37.710 been demolished. It was an environment of, you 00:02:37.710 --> 00:02:40.129 know, financial struggle, but really strong family 00:02:40.129 --> 00:02:43.409 ties. Absolutely. His mother, Euphemia Effie 00:02:43.409 --> 00:02:45.870 McLean, she worked as a cleaning woman. And his 00:02:45.870 --> 00:02:48.449 father, Joseph Connery, was balancing jobs as 00:02:48.449 --> 00:02:50.909 a factory worker and a lorry driver. This was 00:02:50.909 --> 00:02:53.349 a household sustained entirely by hard physical 00:02:53.349 --> 00:02:56.710 labor. No silver spoons here. Not at all. And 00:02:56.710 --> 00:02:59.530 we also find a surprisingly mixed cultural heritage, 00:02:59.729 --> 00:03:02.270 which is, I think, essential context for understanding 00:03:02.270 --> 00:03:05.530 his later very staunch Scottish nationalism. 00:03:05.770 --> 00:03:08.669 How so? Well, he was half Irish. His paternal 00:03:08.669 --> 00:03:11.009 great grandparents emigrated from Wexford. Yeah. 00:03:11.069 --> 00:03:14.150 And intriguingly, one of those great grandparents 00:03:14.150 --> 00:03:18.129 was identified as an Irish traveler. Wow. I did 00:03:18.129 --> 00:03:20.330 not know that. And on his mother's side, the 00:03:20.330 --> 00:03:22.729 Scottish roots run incredibly deep, right? They 00:03:22.729 --> 00:03:24.870 connect him directly to the highlands and islands. 00:03:24.990 --> 00:03:27.729 They do. His maternal great -grandparents were 00:03:27.729 --> 00:03:31.330 native Scottish Gaelic speakers from two very 00:03:31.330 --> 00:03:36.250 distinct regions, Fife and Ugg on Skye. So you've 00:03:36.250 --> 00:03:38.870 got this real mix of Celtic identity brewing. 00:03:39.439 --> 00:03:41.699 And there was also a religious split in the family, 00:03:41.819 --> 00:03:44.180 which was pretty common in Scotland at the time. 00:03:44.240 --> 00:03:46.340 His father was Catholic. His mother was Protestant. 00:03:46.520 --> 00:03:49.840 And he started life known simply as Tommy. Tommy. 00:03:49.960 --> 00:03:52.340 Yeah. The adoption of his middle name, Sean, 00:03:52.580 --> 00:03:54.439 came later. The story is that it was because 00:03:54.439 --> 00:03:57.060 of a close Irish childhood friend he had named 00:03:57.060 --> 00:03:59.939 Samus. Okay. And when they were... Together, 00:03:59.960 --> 00:04:01.879 people started calling him Sean to highlight 00:04:01.879 --> 00:04:04.180 the, you know, the assonance between the two 00:04:04.180 --> 00:04:06.740 names and the new moniker just gets stuck. So 00:04:06.740 --> 00:04:08.800 the shish from Tommy to Sean and then later to 00:04:08.800 --> 00:04:11.599 that nickname Big Tam, it really shows the sheer 00:04:11.599 --> 00:04:13.939 physical transformation he went through. The 00:04:13.939 --> 00:04:16.060 sources say he was reportedly quite small as 00:04:16.060 --> 00:04:18.680 a boy. Yeah, but around age 12, he just hit this 00:04:18.680 --> 00:04:21.439 massive growth spurt. He reached his imposing 00:04:21.439 --> 00:04:23.959 adult height of 6 feet 2 inches by the time he 00:04:23.959 --> 00:04:27.360 was 18. Big Tam. Big Tam. It was a name that 00:04:27.360 --> 00:04:29.920 perfectly reflected this sudden stature and the 00:04:29.920 --> 00:04:32.899 physical presence he would carry his entire life. 00:04:33.360 --> 00:04:36.740 And he immediately looked for ways to leverage 00:04:36.740 --> 00:04:39.180 that physique, didn't he? Which led him straight 00:04:39.180 --> 00:04:41.139 into bodybuilding. Straight into it. He started 00:04:41.139 --> 00:04:44.519 serious training around 1951, really seeking 00:04:44.519 --> 00:04:47.089 the discipline structure. that athletics provided 00:04:47.089 --> 00:04:49.750 him. And this all culminated in his participation 00:04:49.750 --> 00:04:52.889 in the 1953 Mr. Universe competition. Right, 00:04:52.990 --> 00:04:55.290 the Mr. Universe competition. Now, the sources 00:04:55.290 --> 00:04:57.589 vary a bit on this, don't they? He either placed 00:04:57.589 --> 00:04:59.970 third in the junior class or didn't place at 00:04:59.970 --> 00:05:03.230 all in the tall man classification. Exactly. 00:05:03.410 --> 00:05:05.430 The result isn't really the point. The experience 00:05:05.430 --> 00:05:07.470 itself was pivotal, but not for the reason you 00:05:07.470 --> 00:05:09.360 might expect. It wasn't about winning. And you 00:05:09.360 --> 00:05:11.300 noted this moment foreshadowed the strategic 00:05:11.300 --> 00:05:13.579 pragmatism he would employ throughout his career. 00:05:13.720 --> 00:05:16.120 He basically saw a dead end and just walked away, 00:05:16.300 --> 00:05:19.139 despite having the talent. Why was that? The 00:05:19.139 --> 00:05:22.300 sources reveal a very, very calculated decision. 00:05:23.420 --> 00:05:26.439 Connery realized he was at a competitive disadvantage 00:05:26.439 --> 00:05:29.699 against the American bodybuilders. They beat 00:05:29.699 --> 00:05:32.639 him purely on sheer muscle size, which he just 00:05:32.639 --> 00:05:35.100 wasn't naturally inclined toward or maybe wasn't 00:05:35.100 --> 00:05:37.019 willing to achieve through the same extreme methods. 00:05:37.720 --> 00:05:39.920 But the crucial difference, the thing that made 00:05:39.920 --> 00:05:43.420 him quit, was their mindset. Which was what? 00:05:43.560 --> 00:05:46.500 They refused to participate in any other type 00:05:46.500 --> 00:05:48.699 of athletic activity. You know, team sports, 00:05:48.860 --> 00:05:51.680 football, physical labor, anything that might 00:05:51.680 --> 00:05:53.740 cause muscle loss. So he saw that professional 00:05:53.740 --> 00:05:55.920 bodybuilding demanded this kind of specialization 00:05:55.920 --> 00:05:58.519 that would require him to sacrifice the very 00:05:58.519 --> 00:06:01.120 athleticism he actually valued. Precisely. Yeah. 00:06:01.220 --> 00:06:02.920 It was a tradeoff he just wasn't willing to make. 00:06:03.259 --> 00:06:05.339 and it demonstrates that early prioritization 00:06:05.339 --> 00:06:08.240 of dynamic physical capability over static bulk. 00:06:08.600 --> 00:06:10.720 which ironically served him so well later in 00:06:10.720 --> 00:06:12.819 his action roles. Absolutely. That dynamic physical 00:06:12.819 --> 00:06:15.139 presence, the ability to actually move, is defined 00:06:15.139 --> 00:06:17.920 by the long list of incredibly diverse jobs he 00:06:17.920 --> 00:06:20.279 held just to survive in post -war Edinburgh. 00:06:20.579 --> 00:06:22.680 This was not the life of a privileged gentleman. 00:06:23.000 --> 00:06:26.339 Not even close. The list is staggering, and it 00:06:26.339 --> 00:06:28.959 really reveals a deep connection to the working 00:06:28.959 --> 00:06:31.540 classes that he championed later in his life. 00:06:31.620 --> 00:06:35.300 His first job. The milkman. The milkman for St. 00:06:35.379 --> 00:06:38.490 Cuthbert's Cooperative Society. He loved telling 00:06:38.490 --> 00:06:40.870 that anecdote later in life about astonishing 00:06:40.870 --> 00:06:43.769 an Edinburgh taxi driver because he knew every 00:06:43.769 --> 00:06:46.389 single street. And Connery just told him? As 00:06:46.389 --> 00:06:49.689 a boy, I used to deliver milk around here. It's 00:06:49.689 --> 00:06:52.750 perfect. It's so grounding. Beyond the milk round, 00:06:52.910 --> 00:06:56.029 he was a lorry driver, which connects back to 00:06:56.029 --> 00:06:58.689 his father's profession. He was a lifeguard at 00:06:58.689 --> 00:07:01.110 Portobello Baths. He worked as a laborer. And 00:07:01.110 --> 00:07:03.089 in one of the most striking details, he had a 00:07:03.089 --> 00:07:05.990 stint as a coffin polisher. A coffin polisher. 00:07:06.029 --> 00:07:07.829 Can you imagine? It's unbelievable. He took on 00:07:07.829 --> 00:07:10.029 any work necessary just to keep afloat. But his 00:07:10.029 --> 00:07:12.889 physical transformation also opened up a really 00:07:12.889 --> 00:07:17.269 surprising path. He worked as an artist's model 00:07:17.269 --> 00:07:19.430 for the Edinburgh College of Art. Yeah, earning 00:07:19.430 --> 00:07:22.550 a relatively high 15 shillings an hour. The contrast 00:07:22.550 --> 00:07:24.810 is just fascinating. A coffin polisher by day 00:07:24.810 --> 00:07:26.829 and a muse by evening. You just can't make it 00:07:26.829 --> 00:07:29.709 up. Artist Richard DeMarco, who worked with him, 00:07:29.790 --> 00:07:34.029 described him as very straight, slightly shy, 00:07:34.269 --> 00:07:38.629 too beautiful for words, a virtual Adonis. It's 00:07:38.629 --> 00:07:41.149 hard to reconcile the big Tam who fought in the 00:07:41.149 --> 00:07:43.810 streets with the virtual Adonis posing for art 00:07:43.810 --> 00:07:45.980 students, isn't it? But they were both aspects 00:07:45.980 --> 00:07:48.459 of the same intensely disciplined man. We also 00:07:48.459 --> 00:07:50.839 have to mention his early naval service, which 00:07:50.839 --> 00:07:52.879 seems to have deeply influenced his sense of 00:07:52.879 --> 00:07:56.100 identity. He joined the Royal Navy in 1946 at 00:07:56.100 --> 00:07:58.959 just 16 years old, training at the Naval Gunnery 00:07:58.959 --> 00:08:01.420 School. And it was during this time that he acquired 00:08:01.420 --> 00:08:04.680 the two tattoos that reflected his lifelong personal 00:08:04.680 --> 00:08:07.240 and political commitments. One reading, Mom and 00:08:07.240 --> 00:08:09.319 Dad, and the other? Scotland Forever. Scotland 00:08:09.319 --> 00:08:11.949 Forever. That declaration of eternal national 00:08:11.949 --> 00:08:15.050 allegiance was inked long, long before his politics 00:08:15.050 --> 00:08:17.490 became globally famous. His naval career was 00:08:17.490 --> 00:08:19.730 short -lived, though. He was discharged at 19 00:08:19.730 --> 00:08:22.189 on medical grounds. It was a duodenal ulcer, 00:08:22.230 --> 00:08:23.810 a condition that was common among the men in 00:08:23.810 --> 00:08:26.290 his family. Right. But his reputation as Big 00:08:26.290 --> 00:08:29.470 Tam was cemented long before that discharge through 00:08:29.470 --> 00:08:31.629 an anecdote that just perfectly captures his 00:08:31.629 --> 00:08:33.870 inherent toughness. This would be the Valdor 00:08:33.870 --> 00:08:35.870 gang incident. The Valdor gang incident, yes. 00:08:36.110 --> 00:08:38.970 They were a notorious and particularly violent 00:08:38.970 --> 00:08:41.909 gang in Edinburgh at the time. The whole confrontation 00:08:41.909 --> 00:08:45.029 began when Connery was in a billiard hall and 00:08:45.029 --> 00:08:46.909 members of the gang tried to steal his leather 00:08:46.909 --> 00:08:49.409 jacket. And he just stood his ground. He stood 00:08:49.409 --> 00:08:52.450 his ground, prevented the theft. But that initial 00:08:52.450 --> 00:08:55.309 confrontation led to an escalation. Right, because 00:08:55.309 --> 00:08:58.190 they couldn't let that stand. Exactly. So later, 00:08:58.370 --> 00:09:00.690 six members of the gang tracked him down to the 00:09:00.690 --> 00:09:03.970 Palais de Danse. Connery knew he was outnumbered 00:09:03.970 --> 00:09:06.409 and he had to move quickly, so he cornered them 00:09:06.409 --> 00:09:09.409 on a 15 -foot -high balcony. And the sources 00:09:09.409 --> 00:09:12.049 describe his reaction as just immediate and decisive. 00:09:12.629 --> 00:09:15.169 Completely. He physically grabbed two of the 00:09:15.169 --> 00:09:17.389 gang members, one by the throat, the other by 00:09:17.389 --> 00:09:19.769 the bicep, and forcefully cracked their heads 00:09:19.769 --> 00:09:22.279 together, knocking them flat. That is something 00:09:22.279 --> 00:09:24.519 straight out of an action movie script. But this 00:09:24.519 --> 00:09:27.679 was real life in 1950s Edinburgh. Exactly. And 00:09:27.679 --> 00:09:30.039 the result, the rest of the gang just retreated. 00:09:30.059 --> 00:09:32.940 They left him alone after that. They recognized 00:09:32.940 --> 00:09:35.460 and respected that inherent capability to handle 00:09:35.460 --> 00:09:37.759 a confrontation. It really is the origin story 00:09:37.759 --> 00:09:40.419 of the Bond we saw on Scream. A man who clearly 00:09:40.419 --> 00:09:42.879 knew how to handle himself, whose suave exterior 00:09:42.879 --> 00:09:46.799 was built on an incredibly solid foundation of 00:09:46.799 --> 00:09:49.899 working class grit. So if we follow that man. 00:09:50.399 --> 00:09:53.259 The physical labor, the model, the naval veteran, 00:09:53.360 --> 00:09:55.940 the self -disciplined bodybuilder. How does he 00:09:55.940 --> 00:09:59.340 transition this raw energy into the delicate 00:09:59.340 --> 00:10:02.799 world of the stage? It started, as his previous 00:10:02.799 --> 00:10:05.440 jobs did, very pragmatically. He was just looking 00:10:05.440 --> 00:10:08.080 for ways to supplement his income in late 1951 00:10:08.080 --> 00:10:10.679 and began helping backstage at the King's Theater. 00:10:10.940 --> 00:10:13.620 Just to make ends meet. Exactly. The true spark 00:10:13.620 --> 00:10:15.740 of his acting career, however, came unexpectedly 00:10:15.740 --> 00:10:18.700 in 1953 when a fellow competitor at a bodybuilding 00:10:18.700 --> 00:10:21.860 contest suggested, almost flippantly, that he 00:10:21.860 --> 00:10:23.600 should audition for the touring production of 00:10:23.600 --> 00:10:25.399 the musical South Pacific. And he got a role 00:10:25.399 --> 00:10:27.879 immediately. Started small as a chorus boy, a 00:10:27.879 --> 00:10:30.940 CB, but his upward trajectory with that single 00:10:30.940 --> 00:10:33.519 production was well it was remarkable he was 00:10:33.519 --> 00:10:35.620 a quick study by the time the show reached edinburgh 00:10:35.620 --> 00:10:37.700 he had already been promoted to marine cripple 00:10:37.700 --> 00:10:40.379 hamilton steves and was understudying the lead 00:10:40.379 --> 00:10:44.220 roles his salary reflected this success too it 00:10:44.220 --> 00:10:47.159 jumped from 12 pound to 14 pounds and 10 shillings 00:10:47.159 --> 00:10:49.539 a week which was decent money back then it was 00:10:49.539 --> 00:10:52.460 and the following year the show returned and 00:10:52.460 --> 00:10:54.600 he had landed the featured role of lieutenant 00:10:54.600 --> 00:10:57.639 buzz adams but the real turning point wasn't 00:10:57.639 --> 00:11:00.470 the pay increase or even the better role It was 00:11:00.470 --> 00:11:03.169 the education he received from within the company. 00:11:03.809 --> 00:11:07.149 This is where Big Tam starts becoming Sean Connery, 00:11:07.169 --> 00:11:09.330 the thoughtful actor. This is Robert Henderson. 00:11:09.490 --> 00:11:11.429 Robert Henderson. He befriended the American 00:11:11.429 --> 00:11:14.509 actor who just recognized the immense potential 00:11:14.509 --> 00:11:17.399 hidden beneath that physique. Henderson was an 00:11:17.399 --> 00:11:19.500 absolutely critical influence. He was basically 00:11:19.500 --> 00:11:21.919 Connery's intellectual mentor. He didn't just 00:11:21.919 --> 00:11:24.299 teach him stagecraft. He introduced him to literature 00:11:24.299 --> 00:11:26.840 that expanded his worldview and really prepared 00:11:26.840 --> 00:11:29.159 him for serious roles. Yeah, he lent him the 00:11:29.159 --> 00:11:31.340 cornerstones of Western drama and philosophy. 00:11:31.639 --> 00:11:33.960 I mean, we're talking Ibsen, Proust, Tolstoy, 00:11:34.059 --> 00:11:38.419 Joyce, Shakespeare. The greats. And he fundamentally 00:11:38.419 --> 00:11:41.259 urged Connery to undertake elocution lessons, 00:11:41.500 --> 00:11:43.799 understanding that if he could just refine his 00:11:43.799 --> 00:11:46.720 powerful voice and his theatrical delivery, his 00:11:46.720 --> 00:11:49.500 natural charisma would be unstoppable. This was 00:11:49.500 --> 00:11:52.080 rigorous self -improvement. But despite this 00:11:52.080 --> 00:11:54.460 rapid growth, the struggles were still very real. 00:11:54.639 --> 00:11:56.899 His financial difficulties continued, and they 00:11:56.899 --> 00:11:59.259 forced him to take some truly odd side hustles. 00:11:59.940 --> 00:12:02.220 The sources note he was forced to take a part 00:12:02.220 --> 00:12:04.860 -time job as a babysitter for a journalist couple 00:12:04.860 --> 00:12:08.389 earning 10 shillings a night. A babysitter. James 00:12:08.389 --> 00:12:11.210 Bond, a babysitter. It's incredible. And it was 00:12:11.210 --> 00:12:13.250 during this babysitting gig that he met the Hollywood 00:12:13.250 --> 00:12:16.230 actress Shelley Winters. Her description of him 00:12:16.230 --> 00:12:18.929 just encapsulates that moment perfectly. She 00:12:18.929 --> 00:12:21.610 saw one of the tallest and most charming and 00:12:21.610 --> 00:12:23.769 masculine Scotsman she had ever encountered. 00:12:24.169 --> 00:12:26.629 So the charm was clearly powerful, even if the 00:12:26.629 --> 00:12:28.750 financial situation was pretty dire. Oh, absolutely. 00:12:29.029 --> 00:12:31.269 Through the late 50s, the stage provided steady 00:12:31.269 --> 00:12:33.610 work. He was an Agatha Christie's witness for 00:12:33.610 --> 00:12:36.330 the prosecution and classic dramatic roles in 00:12:36.330 --> 00:12:38.570 the Bacchias Pentheus and Anna Christie. His 00:12:38.570 --> 00:12:41.350 first extra role came in 1954 in Lilacs in the 00:12:41.350 --> 00:12:44.450 spring, but it was 1957 when he secured an agent, 00:12:44.549 --> 00:12:46.629 Richard Hatton, that led to his first credited 00:12:46.629 --> 00:12:50.149 film role. And that role was Spike, a minor gangster 00:12:50.149 --> 00:12:52.870 with a speech impediment in the film No Road 00:12:52.870 --> 00:12:55.980 Back. Yeah. It's almost impossible now to imagine 00:12:55.980 --> 00:12:58.259 Sean Connery with a speech impediment, but it 00:12:58.259 --> 00:13:00.820 just shows he was willing to take on challenging, 00:13:01.059 --> 00:13:04.240 non -glamorous roles right from the very start. 00:13:04.419 --> 00:13:07.279 However, the moment that truly showcases capabilities 00:13:07.279 --> 00:13:09.960 to industry professionals came on the small screen. 00:13:10.200 --> 00:13:14.149 The Canadian director Alvin Rakoff was... disillusioned 00:13:14.149 --> 00:13:16.409 with his established leading man, Jack Palance. 00:13:16.490 --> 00:13:19.090 And he took a significant gamble on Connery, 00:13:19.110 --> 00:13:21.269 giving him his first leading role as Mountain 00:13:21.269 --> 00:13:23.570 McClintock in the BBC television production of 00:13:23.570 --> 00:13:26.490 Requiem for a Heavyweight in 1957. And that television 00:13:26.490 --> 00:13:29.049 role gave him immediate and serious critical 00:13:29.049 --> 00:13:31.990 exposure. It led to other gritty parts, like 00:13:31.990 --> 00:13:34.490 the rogue lorry driver Johnny Yates in Helldrivers 00:13:34.490 --> 00:13:36.970 that same year. He was really establishing himself 00:13:36.970 --> 00:13:39.389 as this talented, tough, working class actor. 00:13:39.710 --> 00:13:42.330 But the anecdote that truly cemented his reputation 00:13:42.330 --> 00:13:45.309 for having that blend of theatricality and real 00:13:45.309 --> 00:13:48.750 -life hardman capability came on the set of the 00:13:48.750 --> 00:13:51.440 melodrama. Another time, another place in 1958. 00:13:51.840 --> 00:13:55.360 He was co -starring with Lana Turner. Ah, the 00:13:55.360 --> 00:13:58.320 Lana Turner incident. The perfect collision of 00:13:58.320 --> 00:14:00.620 Hollywood scandal and Edinburgh street grit. 00:14:00.779 --> 00:14:04.080 It really is. So Turner was dating Johnny Stompanato, 00:14:04.240 --> 00:14:06.659 who was a known Los Angeles gangster connected 00:14:06.659 --> 00:14:09.200 to the notorious West Coast mob boss, Mickey 00:14:09.200 --> 00:14:11.980 Cohen. And Stompanato flew to the set in the 00:14:11.980 --> 00:14:14.940 UK. absolutely convinced that Connery and Turner 00:14:14.940 --> 00:14:16.980 were having an affair after seeing them out socially. 00:14:17.139 --> 00:14:19.419 So Stompanato just storms the set looking for 00:14:19.419 --> 00:14:22.419 a confrontation. And what happened next really 00:14:22.419 --> 00:14:24.500 defines the difference between a typical studio 00:14:24.500 --> 00:14:27.080 star and Sean Connery. Stompanato reportedly 00:14:27.080 --> 00:14:29.700 pulled a gun and pointed at that Connery. But 00:14:29.700 --> 00:14:31.419 Connery, you know, recalling his background, 00:14:31.539 --> 00:14:33.779 did not hesitate for a second. He disarmed the 00:14:33.779 --> 00:14:35.539 gangster immediately and knocked him flat on 00:14:35.539 --> 00:14:37.740 his back. Unbelievable. Stompanato was subsequently 00:14:37.740 --> 00:14:39.919 banned from the set and escorted to the airport 00:14:39.919 --> 00:14:42.440 by Scotland Yard detectives. That's a story that 00:14:42.440 --> 00:14:44.480 sounds like it was fabricated for a publicity 00:14:44.480 --> 00:14:46.940 stunt, but it was completely genuine. And it 00:14:46.940 --> 00:14:49.299 came with significant risks for Connery. It did. 00:14:49.519 --> 00:14:51.759 Connery later. recounted that because Stompanato 00:14:51.759 --> 00:14:54.059 was connected directly to Mickey Cohen, he received 00:14:54.059 --> 00:14:56.340 credible threats from men linked to the organization. 00:14:56.779 --> 00:14:58.559 He actually had to go into hiding for a while. 00:14:58.639 --> 00:15:01.919 Wow. That raw, grounded experience in navigating 00:15:01.919 --> 00:15:04.879 real danger, not cinematic danger, must have 00:15:04.879 --> 00:15:07.139 stayed with him. And yet, despite that real -life 00:15:07.139 --> 00:15:10.320 drama, his first major U .S. exposure was just 00:15:10.320 --> 00:15:13.139 utterly wholesome and non -threatening. Walt 00:15:13.139 --> 00:15:15.240 Disney's Darby O 'Gill and the Little People 00:15:15.240 --> 00:15:18.620 in 1959. A charming Irish folklore tale about 00:15:18.620 --> 00:15:21.000 leprechauns. I mean, you couldn't get further 00:15:21.000 --> 00:15:23.600 from mobsters with guns. The New York Times review 00:15:23.600 --> 00:15:26.779 at the time just noted him as merely tall, dark, 00:15:26.860 --> 00:15:29.059 and handsome. So Hollywood wasn't quite sure 00:15:29.059 --> 00:15:31.399 how to categorize this rugged talent yet. Not 00:15:31.399 --> 00:15:34.730 at all. But he was noticed. He was magnetic even 00:15:34.730 --> 00:15:36.389 when he was playing a romantic singing role. 00:15:36.730 --> 00:15:39.370 The stage was now set for the biggest pivot of 00:15:39.370 --> 00:15:41.549 his career. Everything culminates in the role 00:15:41.549 --> 00:15:44.350 that defined him, James Bond. The decision to 00:15:44.350 --> 00:15:48.309 take it was strategic, but also a tremendous 00:15:48.309 --> 00:15:50.889 risk, committing him potentially to a decade 00:15:50.889 --> 00:15:53.549 of films. He was, as we said, initially reluctant, 00:15:53.710 --> 00:15:55.990 very reluctant to commit to a long film series 00:15:55.990 --> 00:15:58.649 because he had aspirations towards serious theatrical 00:15:58.649 --> 00:16:01.870 roles. But he recognized the franchise's potential 00:16:01.870 --> 00:16:05.409 for immediate, unprecedented global stardom. 00:16:05.470 --> 00:16:08.039 And the casting was just... fraught with controversy, 00:16:08.220 --> 00:16:10.100 wasn't it? Largely due to the character's creator, 00:16:10.259 --> 00:16:12.960 Ian Fleming. Fleming was not a fan, not a first. 00:16:13.159 --> 00:16:15.720 He envisioned Commander Bond as this sophisticated, 00:16:15.980 --> 00:16:18.620 more reserved man, someone perhaps like David 00:16:18.620 --> 00:16:21.659 Niven or Cary Grant. Right. He famously doubted 00:16:21.659 --> 00:16:24.240 Connery, calling him unrefined and dismissing 00:16:24.240 --> 00:16:26.399 him as an overgrown stuntman. He just thought 00:16:26.399 --> 00:16:28.679 he was too rough and too obviously Scottish for 00:16:28.679 --> 00:16:30.779 the part. So we really owe Connery's casting 00:16:30.779 --> 00:16:32.980 largely to the shrewd judgment of one person, 00:16:33.179 --> 00:16:35.419 Dana Broccoli, the wife of producer Albert R. 00:16:35.500 --> 00:16:37.860 Cubby Broccoli. Absolutely. She was instrumental. 00:16:38.059 --> 00:16:41.179 She persuaded her husband and his partner, Harry 00:16:41.179 --> 00:16:44.240 Salzman, that Connery possessed the necessary 00:16:44.240 --> 00:16:47.340 raw sexual charisma and the underlying toughness 00:16:47.340 --> 00:16:50.000 that the role needed. She saw the potential where 00:16:50.000 --> 00:16:52.580 Fleming saw only roughness. And her judgment 00:16:52.580 --> 00:16:55.330 was validated so quickly. Fleming was so impressed 00:16:55.330 --> 00:16:58.490 by Dr. No's success in 1962 that he famously 00:16:58.490 --> 00:17:01.009 and retroactively injected Scottish heritage 00:17:01.009 --> 00:17:03.809 into the literary character. Yes. In the 1964 00:17:03.809 --> 00:17:06.809 novel, You Only Live Twice, he stated Bond's 00:17:06.809 --> 00:17:10.069 father was from Glencoe. That's just a powerful 00:17:10.069 --> 00:17:12.309 acknowledgement of Connery's defining influence 00:17:12.309 --> 00:17:14.589 on the character he created. But the transformation 00:17:14.589 --> 00:17:17.009 from Big Tam to the international man of mystery 00:17:17.009 --> 00:17:19.460 was a very deliberate construction. It required 00:17:19.460 --> 00:17:22.119 intensive stylistic tutelage from the director, 00:17:22.299 --> 00:17:24.440 Terrence Young. Young really took Connery under 00:17:24.440 --> 00:17:26.660 his wing. He essentially acted as an etiquette 00:17:26.660 --> 00:17:28.559 coach and a finishing school instructor all in 00:17:28.559 --> 00:17:31.259 one. He leveraged Connery's natural physical 00:17:31.259 --> 00:17:33.559 grace, which he developed through bodybuilding 00:17:33.559 --> 00:17:36.500 and sports, for all the action. But he refined 00:17:36.500 --> 00:17:39.299 the demeanor. Lois Maxwell, the original Miss 00:17:39.299 --> 00:17:42.140 Moneypenny, confirmed that Young taught him how 00:17:42.140 --> 00:17:45.730 to walk, how to talk, even how to eat. It was 00:17:45.730 --> 00:17:48.089 a crash course in upper class sophistication 00:17:48.089 --> 00:17:51.230 designed to polish the raw diamond. And the impact 00:17:51.230 --> 00:17:54.369 was immediate and global. After Dr. No's opening, 00:17:54.549 --> 00:17:57.289 Connery was receiving thousands of fan letters 00:17:57.289 --> 00:18:00.569 a week. He became an instant undeniable international 00:18:00.569 --> 00:18:03.349 sex symbol. And that self -introduction Bond, 00:18:03.630 --> 00:18:07.019 James Bond. It became an immediate cultural catchphrase, 00:18:07.059 --> 00:18:09.140 marking the moment a Scottish working -class 00:18:09.140 --> 00:18:11.859 boy redefined cinematic coolness. His initial 00:18:11.859 --> 00:18:14.279 run was just a phenomenon. It was five consecutive 00:18:14.279 --> 00:18:16.640 Eon productions. Right, Broccoli and Saltzman's 00:18:16.640 --> 00:18:18.819 Company, which holds the primary canon rights. 00:18:19.140 --> 00:18:22.319 So you have Dr. No in 62, From Russia with Love 00:18:22.319 --> 00:18:25.819 in 63, Goldfinger 64, Thunderball 65, and You 00:18:25.819 --> 00:18:28.400 Only Live Twice in 1967. And then he returned 00:18:28.400 --> 00:18:31.180 for Diamonds Are Forever in 1971. And within 00:18:31.180 --> 00:18:34.000 those productions, the sources detail the genuine... 00:18:34.000 --> 00:18:35.960 and danger he encountered, which proves his capability 00:18:35.960 --> 00:18:38.980 went way beyond mere acting. Let's talk about 00:18:38.980 --> 00:18:40.779 the infamous shark scene in Thunderbolt. Oh, 00:18:40.819 --> 00:18:43.579 the shark tank, yes. That scene involved Connery 00:18:43.579 --> 00:18:46.119 being submerged in Emilio Largo's pool, which 00:18:46.119 --> 00:18:49.240 contained live sharks. And Connery, fully aware 00:18:49.240 --> 00:18:51.559 of the danger, insisted that the crew construct 00:18:51.559 --> 00:18:55.559 a special, robust plexiglass partition to separate 00:18:55.559 --> 00:18:57.700 him from the animals. Which proved to be an absolutely 00:18:57.700 --> 00:19:00.460 essential precaution. Completely. Despite the 00:19:00.460 --> 00:19:02.799 barrier, the sources confirmed that the partition 00:19:02.799 --> 00:19:05.480 wasn't fixed properly and one of the sharks managed 00:19:05.480 --> 00:19:08.779 to breach it. No way. Yes. Connery had to abandon 00:19:08.779 --> 00:19:11.500 the pool immediately, narrowly escaping a legitimate, 00:19:11.700 --> 00:19:14.059 life -threatening attack. This wasn't clever 00:19:14.059 --> 00:19:17.460 camera work. It was real risk. Yet, as the success 00:19:17.460 --> 00:19:20.119 soared, so did the psychological and artistic 00:19:20.119 --> 00:19:22.839 burden. And this really is the central conflict 00:19:22.839 --> 00:19:26.119 of his entire career. The immense fame versus 00:19:26.119 --> 00:19:29.099 his deep discontent with the role. Connery grew 00:19:29.099 --> 00:19:32.119 profoundly tired of the relentless pressure and 00:19:32.119 --> 00:19:34.680 the creative constraints of playing a character 00:19:34.680 --> 00:19:37.180 that had become a global brand. His quotes from 00:19:37.180 --> 00:19:39.160 the time revealed genuine frustration. They're 00:19:39.160 --> 00:19:41.680 quite shocking, really. He famously declared, 00:19:41.839 --> 00:19:44.640 I am fed up to here with the whole Bond bit. 00:19:44.839 --> 00:19:47.519 And even more dramatically, he said, I have always 00:19:47.519 --> 00:19:49.920 hated that damn James Bond. I'd like to kill 00:19:49.920 --> 00:19:52.460 him. And his close friend, Michael Caine, provided 00:19:52.460 --> 00:19:55.200 some insight into why this was so agonizing for 00:19:55.200 --> 00:19:57.440 him. It wasn't about the money or the fame itself. 00:19:57.480 --> 00:20:00.519 No. It was because people would only refer to 00:20:00.519 --> 00:20:03.519 him as James Bond. He felt it completely diminished 00:20:03.519 --> 00:20:06.339 his skill and talent as an actor, and it prevented 00:20:06.339 --> 00:20:08.740 him from being taken seriously in dramatic roles. 00:20:08.819 --> 00:20:11.359 Which is all he ever really wanted. It is. And 00:20:11.359 --> 00:20:14.119 that frustration led to him walking away, only 00:20:14.119 --> 00:20:17.339 to return one last time for the non -eon produced 00:20:17.339 --> 00:20:20.920 film Never Say Never Again in 1983. Right. And 00:20:20.920 --> 00:20:22.960 we should give the listener some context on this. 00:20:23.000 --> 00:20:24.240 It's important to understand the distinction. 00:20:24.539 --> 00:20:27.319 Eon Productions held the main rights. Never Say 00:20:27.319 --> 00:20:29.380 Never Again was a legal and financial anomaly. 00:20:29.720 --> 00:20:32.380 It was essentially a remake of Thunderball produced 00:20:32.380 --> 00:20:35.079 outside the standard franchise canon. And it 00:20:35.079 --> 00:20:37.539 all stemmed from these longstanding legal complexities 00:20:37.539 --> 00:20:40.160 over the original story rights. And the title 00:20:40.160 --> 00:20:43.059 itself is just this perfect meta reference to 00:20:43.059 --> 00:20:46.640 his fatigue. It was suggested by his wife, Micheline, 00:20:46.920 --> 00:20:49.460 after he swore he would never again return to 00:20:49.460 --> 00:20:51.400 the role. And while the film was a box office 00:20:51.400 --> 00:20:53.599 success, the sources described the production 00:20:53.599 --> 00:20:56.440 as a total nightmare. Yeah, it was plagued by 00:20:56.440 --> 00:20:59.759 legal battles, director -producer strife, financial 00:20:59.759 --> 00:21:02.539 issues, and resulted in perhaps the most famous 00:21:02.539 --> 00:21:05.460 on -set injury of his entire career. The broken 00:21:05.460 --> 00:21:07.720 wrist. The broken wrist. During a fight scene, 00:21:07.960 --> 00:21:10.640 he suffered a broken wrist. And the fight choreographer 00:21:10.640 --> 00:21:13.900 for that specific sequence was none other than 00:21:13.900 --> 00:21:16.519 a young Steven Seagal. You're kidding. Nope. 00:21:16.920 --> 00:21:19.759 So the combination of a fractured wrist, a negative 00:21:19.759 --> 00:21:21.500 production experience, and a title literally 00:21:21.500 --> 00:21:24.700 referencing his reluctance, it just sums up the 00:21:24.700 --> 00:21:26.640 tortured complexity of his relationship with 00:21:26.640 --> 00:21:29.220 the character he created. After that experience, 00:21:29.319 --> 00:21:31.640 he took a two -year hiatus from filmmaking altogether. 00:21:32.039 --> 00:21:34.099 So if we look at Connery's career through this 00:21:34.099 --> 00:21:36.640 lens of strategic self -management, his pursuit 00:21:36.640 --> 00:21:39.480 of non -Bond roles during and immediately after 00:21:39.480 --> 00:21:41.779 the franchise proves his ambition was just far 00:21:41.779 --> 00:21:44.960 greater than mere stardom. Absolutely. He used 00:21:44.960 --> 00:21:48.309 his Bond fame as... currency basically, to secure 00:21:48.309 --> 00:21:51.250 roles that forced critics and the audience to 00:21:51.250 --> 00:21:53.849 see him as an artist. And one of the biggest 00:21:53.849 --> 00:21:55.910 artistic challenges he took on during his Bond 00:21:55.910 --> 00:21:57.990 tenure was working with the legendary Alfred 00:21:57.990 --> 00:22:02.589 Hitchcock on Marnie in 1964. This led to an early 00:22:02.589 --> 00:22:05.190 showdown that really defines his artistic integrity. 00:22:05.549 --> 00:22:07.890 So one of those classic Hollywood moments. Connery 00:22:07.890 --> 00:22:09.849 insisted on reading the script beforehand, which 00:22:09.849 --> 00:22:12.130 was a request Hitchcock often denied his actors. 00:22:12.250 --> 00:22:14.509 He just assumed they would sign based on his 00:22:14.509 --> 00:22:17.230 reputation alone. Right. Connery reportedly told 00:22:17.230 --> 00:22:20.289 Hitchcock's agent flatly, I'm not Cary Grant. 00:22:20.549 --> 00:22:23.250 And that one line is just an incredible statement 00:22:23.250 --> 00:22:25.890 of intent. It meant, I am not just a handsome, 00:22:26.049 --> 00:22:28.109 suave leading man who does whatever the director 00:22:28.109 --> 00:22:30.450 says. I need substance. I won't just fill your 00:22:30.450 --> 00:22:32.670 established formula for charming protagonists. 00:22:32.930 --> 00:22:36.369 Precisely. He refused to be a placeholder. And 00:22:36.369 --> 00:22:38.490 while the film wasn't Hitchcock's biggest success, 00:22:38.750 --> 00:22:40.670 it showed the world that he was willing to take 00:22:40.670 --> 00:22:43.269 serious dramatic risks and stand up to legendary 00:22:43.269 --> 00:22:46.180 directors to define his own artistic space. But 00:22:46.180 --> 00:22:48.859 the truly critical collaboration that solidified 00:22:48.859 --> 00:22:51.019 him as a dramatic actor came with the director 00:22:51.019 --> 00:22:54.779 Sidney Lumet. The Hill in 1965 was the first 00:22:54.779 --> 00:22:56.900 of five films they made together. And The Hill 00:22:56.900 --> 00:22:59.680 was a black and white, totally non -glamorous 00:22:59.680 --> 00:23:03.210 military prison drama. It was a massive contrast 00:23:03.210 --> 00:23:05.609 to the colorful Bond films. It was a critical 00:23:05.609 --> 00:23:08.150 success. It won Best Screenplay at Cannes. And 00:23:08.150 --> 00:23:10.109 Connery frequently cited Lumet as one of his 00:23:10.109 --> 00:23:12.309 favorite directors. So what specifically did 00:23:12.309 --> 00:23:14.410 Lumet pull out of Connery that the Bond producers 00:23:14.410 --> 00:23:17.490 couldn't or maybe didn't want to? Lumet saw the 00:23:17.490 --> 00:23:20.960 grit. Not the polish. He saw the hard man from 00:23:20.960 --> 00:23:24.500 Edinburgh, not the spy from MI6. Lumet praised 00:23:24.500 --> 00:23:27.140 Connery's performance, noting the immense talent 00:23:27.140 --> 00:23:29.200 required to play a character based on charisma 00:23:29.200 --> 00:23:31.539 and magnetism, but applying it now to serious, 00:23:31.559 --> 00:23:33.700 complex drama rather than, you know, escape his 00:23:33.700 --> 00:23:35.700 tenancy. And the films they made together, like 00:23:35.700 --> 00:23:37.380 The Offense and Murder on the Orient Express, 00:23:37.579 --> 00:23:39.720 they really proved his dramatic depth outside 00:23:39.720 --> 00:23:43.359 of that Dolora 7 cage. They did. And the 1970s 00:23:43.359 --> 00:23:45.619 saw him move into these major ensemble productions, 00:23:45.940 --> 00:23:48.369 which demonstrated his global... popularity wasn't 00:23:48.369 --> 00:23:51.289 diminished by leaving Bond. He shared the Golden 00:23:51.289 --> 00:23:54.029 Globe Henrietta Award for World Film Favorite 00:23:54.029 --> 00:23:57.589 Male in 1972 with Charles Bronson. Right. We 00:23:57.589 --> 00:23:59.789 see him in critically important ensemble films 00:23:59.789 --> 00:24:03.069 like Murder on the Orient Express in 74 and the 00:24:03.069 --> 00:24:08.009 WWII epic A Bridge Too Far in 77. But two specific 00:24:08.009 --> 00:24:10.190 films stand out as personal favorites for him 00:24:10.190 --> 00:24:13.410 and his co -stars. The first being The Man Who 00:24:13.410 --> 00:24:16.589 Would Be King from 1975 with Michael Caine. Both 00:24:16.589 --> 00:24:18.789 actors regarded it as their favorite film collaboration. 00:24:19.150 --> 00:24:21.450 Such a great film. And the second, Robin and 00:24:21.450 --> 00:24:24.390 Marion from 1976, opposite the great Audrey Hepburn. 00:24:24.549 --> 00:24:26.609 And Robin and Marion allowed Connery to explore 00:24:26.609 --> 00:24:29.230 a mature, reflective, romantic leading role, 00:24:29.390 --> 00:24:31.349 which was so far removed from the youthful action 00:24:31.349 --> 00:24:34.069 star. Critic Roger Ebert praised the profound 00:24:34.069 --> 00:24:36.309 chemistry between Connery and Hepburn, observing 00:24:36.309 --> 00:24:38.650 that they glowed together. Yeah, he said they 00:24:38.650 --> 00:24:40.789 truly seemed like two people still deeply in 00:24:40.789 --> 00:24:43.349 love after decades. This proved his capacity 00:24:43.349 --> 00:24:45.490 to carry serious romantic and dramatic weight. 00:24:45.819 --> 00:24:48.299 Now, we absolutely must address the film that 00:24:48.299 --> 00:24:50.700 is perhaps the most audacious artistic statement 00:24:50.700 --> 00:24:53.819 of his mid -career, the infamous sci -fi thriller 00:24:53.819 --> 00:24:59.660 Zardoz in 1974. Ah, Zardoz. Zardoz is the ultimate 00:24:59.660 --> 00:25:02.059 middle finger to the Bond persona. It really 00:25:02.059 --> 00:25:05.160 is. It is known primarily for its shocking costume, 00:25:05.319 --> 00:25:07.799 the Scarlet Mancini, and its sheer narrative 00:25:07.799 --> 00:25:10.920 absurdity. Connery actively sought out the most 00:25:10.920 --> 00:25:14.720 jarring non -bond role possible, embracing the 00:25:14.720 --> 00:25:17.680 ridiculousness as this defiant artistic statement 00:25:17.680 --> 00:25:20.140 against being permanently trapped in sophistication. 00:25:20.940 --> 00:25:22.400 was initially panned, wasn't it? I mean, some 00:25:22.400 --> 00:25:24.160 critics labeled it one of the worst movies ever 00:25:24.160 --> 00:25:27.079 made, but the deeper context is what really matters 00:25:27.079 --> 00:25:29.759 here. Exactly. It has since developed a massive 00:25:29.759 --> 00:25:32.200 cult following, but the insight offered by the 00:25:32.200 --> 00:25:35.079 director, John Borman, is key. He noted that 00:25:35.079 --> 00:25:37.019 Connery was a man of great depth and intelligence, 00:25:37.259 --> 00:25:39.559 and that he actually wrote poetry in his free 00:25:39.559 --> 00:25:42.039 time while filming. So here's a man in a scarlet 00:25:42.039 --> 00:25:44.440 loincloth flexing his dramatic muscles and writing 00:25:44.440 --> 00:25:46.859 poetry, actively trying to confound expectations. 00:25:47.579 --> 00:25:50.920 You've got it. He also embraced quirky supporting 00:25:50.920 --> 00:25:54.099 roles, like playing Agamemnon in Terry Gilliam's 00:25:54.099 --> 00:25:57.539 fantasy epic Time Bandits in 1981. That casting 00:25:57.539 --> 00:25:59.480 decision was actually based on a joke that was 00:25:59.480 --> 00:26:01.599 written into the script. The character was described 00:26:01.599 --> 00:26:04.619 as removing his mask and being Sean Connery or 00:26:04.619 --> 00:26:07.339 someone of equal but cheaper stature. And Connery 00:26:07.339 --> 00:26:10.119 read it, loved the irreverence, and happily agreed 00:26:10.119 --> 00:26:12.359 to play the part. He was clearly comfortable 00:26:12.359 --> 00:26:15.779 leveraging his own iconic status for self -deprecating 00:26:15.779 --> 00:26:18.589 humor. This whole period of seeking diverse roles, 00:26:18.849 --> 00:26:21.789 it culminated in a significant critical triumph. 00:26:21.950 --> 00:26:24.450 The European production of The Name of the Rose 00:26:24.450 --> 00:26:28.339 in 1986. That film was pivotal. It arguably revived 00:26:28.339 --> 00:26:31.200 his interest in commercial material by validating 00:26:31.200 --> 00:26:34.180 his serious acting credentials. He won a BAFTA 00:26:34.180 --> 00:26:36.279 award for best actor, proving he could lead a 00:26:36.279 --> 00:26:38.980 sophisticated drama outside the Hollywood system. 00:26:39.079 --> 00:26:41.539 And this success immediately preceded his next 00:26:41.539 --> 00:26:44.240 chapter of global commercial hits. It's also 00:26:44.240 --> 00:26:46.440 the year he established his late career archetype. 00:26:47.160 --> 00:26:50.000 By taking a supporting role as the older, wise 00:26:50.000 --> 00:26:53.720 mentor in Highlander in 1986, he found the formula 00:26:53.720 --> 00:26:56.039 that would define his final two decades of enormous 00:26:56.039 --> 00:26:58.960 success. So the BAFTA win provided the perfect 00:26:58.960 --> 00:27:01.680 momentum for his true Hollywood comeback. He 00:27:01.680 --> 00:27:04.279 proved he was critically bankable and everything 00:27:04.279 --> 00:27:07.500 aligned perfectly for his Oscar triumph in 1987 00:27:07.500 --> 00:27:10.519 with The Untouchables. In The Untouchables, he 00:27:10.519 --> 00:27:12.880 starred as the grizzled, hard -nosed Irish -American 00:27:12.880 --> 00:27:16.140 cop Jim Malone alongside Kevin Costner's Elliot 00:27:16.140 --> 00:27:19.660 Ness. The role just utilized both the Edinburgh 00:27:19.660 --> 00:27:22.839 grit and the refined dramatic skills he had honed 00:27:22.839 --> 00:27:24.900 with Sidney Lumet. It was a tremendous success, 00:27:25.180 --> 00:27:27.720 blending high -quality filmmaking with box office 00:27:27.720 --> 00:27:30.440 appeal. And the performance finally secured him 00:27:30.440 --> 00:27:32.950 the industry's highest honor. The Academy Award 00:27:32.950 --> 00:27:34.829 for Best Supporting Actor. Which made him the 00:27:34.829 --> 00:27:37.490 first Scottish actor to win a major Oscar. He 00:27:37.490 --> 00:27:39.569 also took home the Golden Globes for Best Supporting 00:27:39.569 --> 00:27:41.509 Actor for that role. And the performance was 00:27:41.509 --> 00:27:44.250 universally praised. Critic Roger Ebert highlighted 00:27:44.250 --> 00:27:46.849 exactly why it was so powerful. He noted that 00:27:46.849 --> 00:27:48.769 Connery brings a human element to his character. 00:27:49.069 --> 00:27:51.289 When he's on screen, we can believe, briefly, 00:27:51.450 --> 00:27:53.769 that the Prohibition era was inhabited by real 00:27:53.769 --> 00:27:57.029 people, not caricatures. He brought depth to 00:27:57.029 --> 00:27:58.950 what could have so easily been a caricature. 00:27:59.450 --> 00:28:02.349 And this success cemented his late career archetype. 00:28:02.569 --> 00:28:06.289 The tough, wise, often grizzled mentor who steals 00:28:06.289 --> 00:28:08.349 the scene from the younger protagonist. Which 00:28:08.349 --> 00:28:10.450 led immediately to one of his most beloved roles, 00:28:10.690 --> 00:28:13.309 Henry Jones Sr., Indy's father in Indiana Jones 00:28:13.309 --> 00:28:16.500 and the Last Crusade in 1989. That dynamic was 00:28:16.500 --> 00:28:19.539 pure gold. Harrison Ford later emphasized that 00:28:19.539 --> 00:28:21.240 Connery wasn't just hired to read the lines. 00:28:21.380 --> 00:28:23.740 He made deep contributions during the writing 00:28:23.740 --> 00:28:26.779 stage, adding complexity and value to the character 00:28:26.779 --> 00:28:29.599 and the script. He just elevated the entire project. 00:28:29.779 --> 00:28:32.140 He earned BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations 00:28:32.140 --> 00:28:35.039 for that performance as well. And this era delivered 00:28:35.039 --> 00:28:37.839 consistent box office success. The Hunt for Red 00:28:37.839 --> 00:28:40.140 October in 1990, where he played the Russian 00:28:40.140 --> 00:28:43.579 submarine captain. The Rock in 96, which solidified 00:28:43.579 --> 00:28:45.400 his partnership with director Michael Bay. A 00:28:45.400 --> 00:28:48.140 surprising but effective partnership. Very. And 00:28:48.140 --> 00:28:50.299 it earned him an MTV Movie Award nomination for 00:28:50.299 --> 00:28:53.119 Best Duo with Nicolas Cage. And then Entrapment 00:28:53.119 --> 00:28:56.160 in 1999. Even his voice work, like playing Draco 00:28:56.160 --> 00:28:58.559 the Dragon in Dragonheart in 96, showed that 00:28:58.559 --> 00:29:00.319 his presence could elevate fantasy material. 00:29:00.750 --> 00:29:02.750 But the sources make it clear that the later 00:29:02.750 --> 00:29:05.170 years were characterized both by massive hits 00:29:05.170 --> 00:29:08.410 and highly visible misses, which led to his eventual 00:29:08.410 --> 00:29:11.230 retirement. Right. He continued to receive positive 00:29:11.230 --> 00:29:14.109 reviews for films like Finding Forrester in 2000, 00:29:14.430 --> 00:29:17.430 where he returned to that mentor role. However, 00:29:17.690 --> 00:29:20.410 the critical and commercial disappointments included 00:29:20.410 --> 00:29:22.549 the highly panned film version of The Avengers 00:29:22.549 --> 00:29:26.170 in 1998 and, most significantly, The League of 00:29:26.170 --> 00:29:29.119 Extraordinary Gentlemen in 2003. And that 2003 00:29:29.119 --> 00:29:31.759 film based on the graphic novel was the absolute 00:29:31.759 --> 00:29:34.420 breaking point. It was the experience that ultimately 00:29:34.420 --> 00:29:37.420 ended his acting career. It was profoundly frustrating 00:29:37.420 --> 00:29:40.440 for him. The sources recount that Connery sensed 00:29:40.440 --> 00:29:42.579 the production was going off the rails during 00:29:42.579 --> 00:29:44.940 shooting. He was highly critical of the director, 00:29:45.160 --> 00:29:47.299 Stephen Norrington, and later suggested that 00:29:47.299 --> 00:29:49.579 the director would have been arrested for insanity 00:29:49.579 --> 00:29:52.660 if he hadn't left the UK. Strong words. Very. 00:29:53.119 --> 00:29:55.339 He spent significant stressful effort trying 00:29:55.339 --> 00:29:58.140 to salvage the film during editing, but the experience 00:29:58.140 --> 00:30:00.880 was so negative, the disillusionment so profound, 00:30:01.039 --> 00:30:03.480 that he just decided to retire from acting rather 00:30:03.480 --> 00:30:05.759 than endure that level of stress and incompetence 00:30:05.759 --> 00:30:07.940 again. And this brings us to the roles he turned 00:30:07.940 --> 00:30:10.640 down, which are now legendary in Hollywood lore, 00:30:10.779 --> 00:30:13.420 and they provide the perfect counterpoint to 00:30:13.420 --> 00:30:15.839 his deliberate retirement. The massive rejection 00:30:15.839 --> 00:30:17.900 was, of course, the role of Gandalf in the Lord 00:30:17.900 --> 00:30:20.700 of the Rings films. So why did he turn down a 00:30:20.700 --> 00:30:23.140 role that was so clearly a global phenomenon 00:30:23.140 --> 00:30:26.400 in the making? His reason was famously pragmatic 00:30:26.400 --> 00:30:28.740 and consistent with the principle he applied 00:30:28.740 --> 00:30:31.900 to Hitchcock decades earlier. He stated simply 00:30:31.900 --> 00:30:35.460 that he did not understand the script. He didn't 00:30:35.460 --> 00:30:37.680 get it. He didn't get it. Yeah. He was unwilling 00:30:37.680 --> 00:30:40.559 to commit to a massive time consuming project 00:30:40.559 --> 00:30:44.230 where he didn't grasp. the narrative or his place 00:30:44.230 --> 00:30:46.430 within it. And the financial cost of that commitment 00:30:46.430 --> 00:30:48.910 to comprehension was just staggering. He was 00:30:48.910 --> 00:30:52.309 offered a salary of U .S. $30 million, plus a 00:30:52.309 --> 00:30:55.490 staggering 15 % of the worldwide box office receipts. 00:30:55.630 --> 00:30:57.470 If you do the math, that potentially cost him 00:30:57.470 --> 00:31:00.390 around U .S. $450 million. It's one of the most 00:31:00.390 --> 00:31:03.069 financially momentous artistic rejections in 00:31:03.069 --> 00:31:05.490 history. And he applied the same logic to other 00:31:05.490 --> 00:31:08.049 huge fantasy franchises. He turned down Albus 00:31:08.049 --> 00:31:10.369 Dumbledore in the Harry Potter series and the 00:31:10.369 --> 00:31:12.730 Architect in the Matrix trilogy. He confirmed 00:31:12.730 --> 00:31:15.309 his retirement officially when he received the 00:31:15.309 --> 00:31:18.990 AFI Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006, citing 00:31:18.990 --> 00:31:21.930 his disillusionment with the idiots now making 00:31:21.930 --> 00:31:24.910 films in Hollywood. That statement just encapsulates 00:31:24.910 --> 00:31:26.750 his frustration, doesn't it? He was an actor 00:31:26.750 --> 00:31:29.369 of integrity who was tired of dealing with incompetence, 00:31:29.369 --> 00:31:32.150 even if it cost him half a billion dollars. Exactly. 00:31:32.410 --> 00:31:35.150 He did briefly come out of retirement in 2012 00:31:35.150 --> 00:31:37.369 to voice the title character in the Scottish 00:31:37.369 --> 00:31:40.700 animated film Sir Billy. where he also served 00:31:40.700 --> 00:31:43.420 as an executive producer, but his major screen 00:31:43.420 --> 00:31:46.500 career had definitively ended years prior. Okay, 00:31:46.559 --> 00:31:49.180 let's shift our focus now to his complex personal 00:31:49.180 --> 00:31:51.640 life and the political identity that so often 00:31:51.640 --> 00:31:53.480 put him at odds with the British establishment. 00:31:53.680 --> 00:31:56.720 In his early life, he had several notable relationships. 00:31:57.180 --> 00:32:00.240 There was Carol Sopel, a Jewish woman, and their 00:32:00.240 --> 00:32:02.279 relationship ended because her family reportedly 00:32:02.279 --> 00:32:04.900 warned him off. He also deeded Julie Hamilton, 00:32:05.079 --> 00:32:07.759 who initially thought his appearance was... Appalling. 00:32:07.940 --> 00:32:10.220 Appalling. Yes. But that comment drastically 00:32:10.220 --> 00:32:12.460 changed the moment she saw him wearing a kilt, 00:32:12.500 --> 00:32:15.019 which instantly transformed her perception of 00:32:15.019 --> 00:32:17.500 his masculinity and charm. The power of the kilt. 00:32:17.680 --> 00:32:20.480 His first marriage was to the Australian actress 00:32:20.480 --> 00:32:25.059 Diane Salento from 1962 to 1973. They had one 00:32:25.059 --> 00:32:28.099 son, the actor Jason Connery. This period, however, 00:32:28.279 --> 00:32:30.559 is marked by significant controversy that really 00:32:30.559 --> 00:32:34.119 haunted him for decades. It is. Salento alleged 00:32:34.119 --> 00:32:36.559 mental and physical abuse during their relationship 00:32:36.559 --> 00:32:40.079 in her 2006 autobiography. And this put a spotlight 00:32:40.079 --> 00:32:42.259 on controversial statements Connery had made 00:32:42.259 --> 00:32:44.960 much earlier in his career. The most frequently 00:32:44.960 --> 00:32:47.900 cited comments came from a 1965 Playboy interview 00:32:47.900 --> 00:32:49.700 where he suggested he didn't think there was 00:32:49.700 --> 00:32:52.059 anything particularly wrong in hitting a woman. 00:32:52.240 --> 00:32:54.940 And then later, in the 1993 Vanity Fair interview, 00:32:55.299 --> 00:32:58.319 he seemed to double down, speaking of women looking 00:32:58.319 --> 00:33:00.420 for the ultimate confrontation and wanting a 00:33:00.420 --> 00:33:03.480 smack. Now, it is important to impartially report 00:33:03.480 --> 00:33:06.000 the complexity of his response to this controversy 00:33:06.000 --> 00:33:08.740 over time. These statements caused immense public 00:33:08.740 --> 00:33:10.859 backlash, and they led to him eventually addressing 00:33:10.859 --> 00:33:14.500 the issue years later. Yes, he provided an unequivocal 00:33:14.500 --> 00:33:17.920 retraction in 2006. He stated very clearly, I 00:33:17.920 --> 00:33:19.859 don't believe that any level of abuse of women 00:33:19.859 --> 00:33:22.539 is ever justified under any circumstances. Full 00:33:22.539 --> 00:33:25.119 stop. However, the controversy remains strong 00:33:25.119 --> 00:33:26.920 enough that he canceled an appearance at the 00:33:26.920 --> 00:33:29.660 Scottish Parliament that same year. We have to 00:33:29.660 --> 00:33:32.059 report these claims and retractions as they appear 00:33:32.059 --> 00:33:34.579 in the source material, acknowledging this very 00:33:34.579 --> 00:33:37.160 sensitive aspect of his legacy. His second marriage 00:33:37.160 --> 00:33:39.799 proved much more enduring. He married the French 00:33:39.799 --> 00:33:42.799 Moroccan painter Micheline Roquebrune in 1975, 00:33:43.079 --> 00:33:45.920 and they remained together until his death. She 00:33:45.920 --> 00:33:48.039 was the one who famously provided the title for 00:33:48.039 --> 00:33:50.279 Never Say Never Again. Beyond his marriages, 00:33:50.440 --> 00:33:53.140 Connery had defining hobbies, most famously golf. 00:33:53.440 --> 00:33:56.519 Oh, his love for golf was profound and lifelong. 00:33:56.960 --> 00:33:59.039 He was introduced to the game by his friend Ian 00:33:59.039 --> 00:34:01.799 Stewart. That iconic golf scene in Goldfinger 00:34:01.799 --> 00:34:04.339 was meticulously prepared for. He had lessons. 00:34:04.680 --> 00:34:06.660 He did. Peter Alice, the English professional 00:34:06.660 --> 00:34:09.059 golfer, gave him lessons specifically before 00:34:09.059 --> 00:34:12.480 filming. He even popularized a particular fashion 00:34:12.480 --> 00:34:15.780 statement, the light gray Marl Schlesinger V 00:34:15.780 --> 00:34:18.690 -neck sweater. Jack Nicklaus himself described 00:34:18.690 --> 00:34:21.269 him as a pretty darn good golfer. Let's turn 00:34:21.269 --> 00:34:23.409 now to the political identity that ran deeper 00:34:23.409 --> 00:34:26.150 than any of his acting roles. His staunch support 00:34:26.150 --> 00:34:29.090 for the Scottish National Party, or SNP. Right. 00:34:29.170 --> 00:34:31.809 The SNP is the political party that campaigns 00:34:31.809 --> 00:34:34.269 explicitly for Scottish independence from the 00:34:34.269 --> 00:34:37.110 United Kingdom. And Connery was a lifelong vocal 00:34:37.110 --> 00:34:40.130 supporter. His interest was reportedly sparked 00:34:40.130 --> 00:34:43.389 when he directed and presented the 1967 documentary 00:34:43.389 --> 00:34:46.079 The Bowler and the Bunnet. Which was about what? 00:34:46.260 --> 00:34:48.219 It was about industrial relations in the Glasgow 00:34:48.219 --> 00:34:51.340 shipyards. He saw the potential for a self -governing 00:34:51.340 --> 00:34:53.900 Scotland through that project. And he supported 00:34:53.900 --> 00:34:56.440 the SNP both financially and through personal 00:34:56.440 --> 00:35:00.139 campaigning. In 1967, he wrote to an SNP candidate 00:35:00.139 --> 00:35:02.760 expressing his firm belief that Scotland was 00:35:02.760 --> 00:35:05.900 more than capable of building a prosperous, vigorous 00:35:05.900 --> 00:35:08.739 and modern self -governing Scotland. His political 00:35:08.739 --> 00:35:12.179 advocacy was so strong that it actively interfered 00:35:12.179 --> 00:35:14.559 with his public life. Sources confirm that his 00:35:14.559 --> 00:35:17.380 knighthood, which he deeply desired, was reportedly 00:35:17.380 --> 00:35:19.639 vetoed twice by the British government due to 00:35:19.639 --> 00:35:22.019 his fervent political activities. And his financial 00:35:22.019 --> 00:35:24.920 support for the SNP only ceased in 2001 because 00:35:24.920 --> 00:35:27.679 UK legislation prohibited overseas funding of 00:35:27.679 --> 00:35:30.519 political activities. This brings us to the inevitable 00:35:30.519 --> 00:35:32.639 controversy surrounding his residency status. 00:35:32.960 --> 00:35:35.960 He relocated to the Bahamas in the 1990s. And 00:35:35.960 --> 00:35:38.840 the accusation that he was a tax exile followed 00:35:38.840 --> 00:35:42.579 him for years. In 2003, he released documents 00:35:42.579 --> 00:35:45.780 showing he had paid millions in UK taxes between 00:35:45.780 --> 00:35:50.079 1997 and 2003 to counter the claims. But critics 00:35:50.079 --> 00:35:52.179 correctly noted that the amount was far lower 00:35:52.179 --> 00:35:54.199 than what he would have paid had he continuously 00:35:54.199 --> 00:35:57.619 resided in the UK for tax purposes. The relocation 00:35:57.619 --> 00:36:00.099 was clearly motivated by tax benefits. And the 00:36:00.099 --> 00:36:02.000 implication of this tax status was significant. 00:36:02.440 --> 00:36:05.000 particularly for his political involvement. His 00:36:05.000 --> 00:36:07.539 own brother noted that his tax exile status legally 00:36:07.539 --> 00:36:09.579 limited the number of days Connery could spend 00:36:09.579 --> 00:36:12.039 in Scotland, meaning he couldn't actively participate 00:36:12.039 --> 00:36:14.719 in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum 00:36:14.719 --> 00:36:18.130 campaign. Wow. Despite all that political friction, 00:36:18.389 --> 00:36:20.170 the knighthood finally came through in 2000. 00:36:20.570 --> 00:36:23.190 Queen Elizabeth II knighted him at Holyrood Palace. 00:36:23.510 --> 00:36:26.010 And fittingly, he wore his mother's McGlean clan 00:36:26.010 --> 00:36:29.030 tartan kilt, a powerful symbol of his reconciliation 00:36:29.030 --> 00:36:31.090 with the establishment, while still retaining 00:36:31.090 --> 00:36:33.469 his distinct Scottish identity. Connery died 00:36:33.469 --> 00:36:37.309 in his sleep on October 31, 2020, at age 90 in 00:36:37.309 --> 00:36:40.510 the Bahamas. His son confirmed he had been unwell, 00:36:40.630 --> 00:36:43.010 and his widow revealed he had suffered from dementia 00:36:43.010 --> 00:36:46.260 in his final years. The cause of death was listed 00:36:46.260 --> 00:36:49.460 as pneumonia and respiratory failure. In a final 00:36:49.460 --> 00:36:51.739 act of devotion to his homeland, his ashes were 00:36:51.739 --> 00:36:53.860 scattered in Scotland at undisclosed locations 00:36:53.860 --> 00:36:57.340 in 2022, fulfilling his final wish to be returned 00:36:57.340 --> 00:37:00.099 home. The tributes poured in from across the 00:37:00.099 --> 00:37:02.900 globe, including from every surviving Bond actor, 00:37:03.039 --> 00:37:06.119 Leeson B., Dalton, Brosnan and Craig, and close 00:37:06.119 --> 00:37:08.639 colleagues like Harrison Ford and Michael Caine. 00:37:08.760 --> 00:37:10.960 The Bond producers released a joint statement 00:37:10.960 --> 00:37:13.780 emphasizing that Connery had revolutionized the 00:37:13.780 --> 00:37:16.940 world with his portrayal of 007 and was largely 00:37:16.940 --> 00:37:19.519 responsible for the franchise's enduring success. 00:37:19.880 --> 00:37:21.519 If we connect all this to the bigger picture, 00:37:21.719 --> 00:37:24.440 Connery's entire career arc demonstrates not 00:37:24.440 --> 00:37:27.139 just immense raw talent and charisma, but this 00:37:38.710 --> 00:37:42.070 And the public acknowledged this dichotomy. They 00:37:42.070 --> 00:37:45.289 voted him the greatest living Scott in 2004 and 00:37:45.289 --> 00:37:47.590 People magazine's sexiest man of the century 00:37:47.590 --> 00:37:51.050 in 1999. And his legacy continues to evolve. 00:37:51.579 --> 00:37:55.059 rooted so deeply in his Edinburgh origins. As 00:37:55.059 --> 00:37:57.519 recently as 2024, the Edinburgh International 00:37:57.519 --> 00:38:00.579 Film Festival established the Sean Connery Prize 00:38:00.579 --> 00:38:03.619 for Feature Filmmaking Excellence. It cements 00:38:03.619 --> 00:38:05.940 the idea that the city never forgot Big Tam. 00:38:06.300 --> 00:38:08.780 What a phenomenal journey marked by just so many 00:38:08.780 --> 00:38:11.139 contradictions. We saw the Edinburgh milkman 00:38:11.139 --> 00:38:14.599 and bodyguard forged in working class grit, transformed 00:38:14.599 --> 00:38:17.460 into the definition of cinematic coolness through 00:38:17.460 --> 00:38:20.719 sheer determination and Robert Henderson's tutelage. 00:38:20.780 --> 00:38:23.400 Yet he spent the peak of his career fiercely 00:38:23.400 --> 00:38:25.360 battling against the constraints of that very 00:38:25.360 --> 00:38:28.139 success. He used Bond as a launchpad, but his 00:38:28.139 --> 00:38:30.599 greatest critical achievements came when he explicitly 00:38:30.599 --> 00:38:33.000 sought out roles that challenged the suave image, 00:38:33.119 --> 00:38:35.400 whether that was embracing the ridiculousness 00:38:35.400 --> 00:38:38.159 of the Scarlet Mancini in Zardoz or confronting 00:38:38.159 --> 00:38:40.260 Hitchcock's agent about needing to read the script. 00:38:40.460 --> 00:38:43.139 His Oscar was a reward for prioritizing substance 00:38:43.139 --> 00:38:46.260 over comfort. And that strategic commitment to 00:38:46.260 --> 00:38:48.940 artistic integrity is perhaps best summarized 00:38:48.940 --> 00:38:51.440 by his famous rejection. He turned down the role 00:38:51.440 --> 00:38:53.420 of Gandalf because he didn't understand the script, 00:38:53.619 --> 00:38:57.000 costing him a potential U .S. $450 million. It's 00:38:57.000 --> 00:38:59.659 an astonishing moment where artistic principle 00:38:59.659 --> 00:39:02.639 definitively outweighed financial security. So 00:39:02.639 --> 00:39:04.739 what does this all mean for you, the listener? 00:39:05.179 --> 00:39:07.000 Connery's career shows the immense strategic 00:39:07.000 --> 00:39:10.159 cost of artistic integrity. His decision was 00:39:10.159 --> 00:39:12.880 based on a simple, consistent principle, refusing 00:39:12.880 --> 00:39:15.539 to be involved in a project if he couldn't intellectually 00:39:15.539 --> 00:39:18.539 grasp and contribute to it. This raises an important 00:39:18.539 --> 00:39:20.880 question. In your own field, how do you decide 00:39:20.880 --> 00:39:23.239 between a project that offers enormous, almost 00:39:23.239 --> 00:39:25.960 unthinkable financial security versus a project 00:39:25.960 --> 00:39:28.039 that genuinely challenges and satisfies your 00:39:28.039 --> 00:39:30.199 intellectual or creative standards? Where do 00:39:30.199 --> 00:39:32.079 you draw the line between strategic risk and 00:39:32.079 --> 00:39:33.840 regrettably accepting a role you fundamentally 00:39:33.840 --> 00:39:35.670 don't believe in? believe in, something to mull 00:39:35.670 --> 00:39:37.050 over until our next deep dive.