Doing What Actors DoLists about actors and actresses and the characters they became, how they disappeared into roles, what they really look like, and more.
Vote up the roles you would've loved to see Sean take on.
Sean Connery was a titan of cinema. He was a pop culture staple for decades, creating a number of characters who became screen icons in their own right. But there are a number of equally famous roles that Connery could've played, but passed up. They weren't little parts, either - and they wound up going to such megastars as Ian McKellen, Michael Caine, and Richard Harris, to name a few.
Sure, Connery sometimes had a good excuse for saying no, like playing a certain super spy in blockbuster movies in lieu of being the millionth Tarzan to swing from that vine. But that doesn't mean Connery's above making questionable career decisions. He played Allan Quatermain in the widely panned flick The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, right around the time he passed on parts in TheLord of the Rings and The Matrix. His agent probably wasn't jazzed about those decisions.
Some of the roles Connery turned down might have led to regret; other choices likely worked out better for the final product. But there's no denying that the actor's growling Scottish voice and unique swagger would have brought something different to every character.
Gandalf might be Ian McKellen's most famous role, but it almost belonged to Connery. He said no, despite being offered a whopping $6 million per film. But he doesn't seem to regret it, saying, "I read the book. I read the script. I saw the movie. I still don’t understand it. Ian McKellen, I believe, is marvelous in it."
Connery was offered two roles in The Matrix series: first Morpheus, and then the Architect. He turned them both down because he didn't understand the script. The parts went to Laurence Fishburne and Helmut Bakaitis, respectively.
Connery passed on the role of Simon Gruber in Die Hard with a Vengeance because he didn't want to play such an evil character. Jeremy Irons got the part.
Connery wasn't only offered the role of the traitorous Sentinel Prime from Transformers: Dark of the Moon – the character was designed in his likeness. After he turned down the role, Leonard Nimoy took it.
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The Player In 'Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead'
Photo: Cinecom Pictures
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead is a film adapted from a Tom Stoppard play, which in turn riffs on Hamlet. The mysterious figure known as The Player would have been played by Connery, but he had to bow out, apparently over health concerns. Richard Dreyfuss took it instead.
John Hammond, the benevolent creator of Jurassic Park, could've been played by Connery. But, according to friend and author Michael Crichton, he wasn't offered enough money. The role went to Richard Attenborough.
