Sean Connery was one of the most legendary actors, best known for remarkably portraying British secret agent James Bond in the lucrative James Bond franchise. The actor left behind his rich acting legacy and died on 31 October 2020 at age 90. Connery was a man of many talents who earned many high-level honorary awards and accolades for his critically acclaimed performances.
Having impeccable acting skills, and a charismatic on-screen persona, the late actor got the perks of working with some of the most talented directors in the film industry. However, the Edinburgh native star had rejected many monumental projects in his career, like The Matrix and The Lord of the Rings franchises.
The actor dropped both projects, only to star in the 2003 film The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, which he reportedly hated filming. The movie marked his last on-screen appearance, and after this project, he ultimately quit acting.
Sean Connery Hated Doing The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Sean Connery was an integral part of many fascinating and big-budgeted movies. However, the actor had his fair share of mistakes and turned down many giant projects in his career. Before he died in 2020, Connery made his last on-screen appearance in the 2003 film The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and after this film, the actor quit his acting career.
The film received poor reviews from fans, and critics slammed the project, mainly pointing to its inconsistent screenplay. The James Bond star once admitted that he hated doing this film and had a bad experience on set, not just that the actor allegedly had an altercation with the film director Stephen Norrington due to creative differences, and he felt Norrington was too inexperienced.
The Academy Award-winning actor was infuriated while filming Norrington’s The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. There were many on-set and other problems, which delayed the film’s production. One huge problem was the disastrous weather that delayed the shooting process, after which the actor had serious arguments with the film director.
At the time of the shooting, Sean Connery expressed his opinions about working with the director, saying,
“There have been differences of opinion about almost everything. Professional differences, personal differences, you name it. But my philosophy has been to shoot the movie and talk about right and wrong afterward. To be honest, I just want to complete the picture. That’s all I want right now.”
His co-star Stuart Townsend was once asked in his previous interviews if the late actor quit acting after having a hard time on their shared movie set, to which Townsend replied,
“I don’t think that’s true. His passion had definitely left him by that stage. That was a money gig.”
Despite the controversies and problems attached to the project, and its poor reviews, the movie amassed $179 million at the global box office, and critics praised Sean Connery’s performance.
Sean Connery Turn Down The Matrix and The Lord of the Rings Franchises
According to reports, the late legendary actor was offered a role in one of highest grossing franchises in American cinema, The Lord of the Rings. The epic fantasy adventure series has earned critical acclaim for its unique plots and innovative filmmaking approach. Nevertheless, Connery rejected the project, claiming “he did not understand the script.” The actor was offered to play the role of Gandolf, which he apparently passed on.
The Hill movie star turned down another big-banner franchise, The Matrix. The sci-fi, action-packed film series led by Hollywood stalwart Keanu Reeves has earned many top-level accolades and praise from the fans. However, Connery, who had played many intriguing roles in his storied career, was offered a part to star in the franchise, which he rejected, saying,
“I was offered The Matrix twice, and I turned it down because I didn’t understand it.”
According to reports, after rejecting two mega franchises, Sean Connery decided to star in the 2003 film The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, which failed to get good reviews, and he decided to quit acting.
Source: The Independent UK
