Have you ever been involved in something so awful that you decided to permanently quit your field? That’s Sean Connery.
Some regard Sean Connery as the authentic James Bond of 007, while others perceive him as the father of Indiana Jones, and still others simply ponder, “Who is Sean Connery?”
Whether you realize it or not, he had an incredible career before passing away in 2020.
However, Connery did decide to give up acting in 2006; it’s believed that his involvement in a comic book movie from 2003 motivated this decision.
He declared, “I have retired for good,” at the American Film Institute in 2006, when he also accepted a Lifetime Achievement Award. He then mentioned his kidney tumor operation, saying, “It’s been a bit rough since Christmas, but I’m perfectly okay, and I feel well.”
According to The Telegraph, he quipped that it would take “a Mafia-like offer I couldn’t refuse” to entice him back into acting when asked what might convince him to return to the role in 2005.
The celebrity never appeared on screen again, except for a voice-acting appearance in 2012’s Sir Billi. Rumors suggested that his role in the 2003 film The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen contributed to this.
The film parodied the traditional superhero team-up story, drawing inspiration from Alan Moore’s and Kevin O’Neill’s comic book of the same name.
The league, however, was composed of Victorian literary characters who would band together to save the world rather than superheroes.
But because everything just didn’t go according to plan throughout the film’s production, it was more like a Victorian tragedy.
A significant flood that halted filming and even damaged sets struck the project, which was taking place in the then-Czech Republic (now known as Czechia).
Jason Flemyng, who portrayed Dr. Jekyll, reportedly stated, “We lost all our sets; we lost everything,” according to The Independent.
“It was a major financial bind. While they were rebuilding the sets in Prague, we were forced to abandon everything and travel to Malta, where we spent far too much time on scenes that were not yet slated for filming.”
Connery also didn’t get along with the movie’s director, Stephen Norrington; in fact, according to The Hollywood Reporter, the actor claimed to be “heavily involved in editing and trying to salvage” the picture.
The two had “professional differences, personal differences, you name it,” Connery subsequently told the Scotsman.
Additionally, Flemyng stated that Norrington was “really creative and a huge character” and that Connery’s instincts “were right and deserved to be listened to,” but that “I don’t think either of them were listened to enough—by each other or by the studio.”
Critics largely ignored the movie, effectively killing off any potential sequels.
However, did it force Connery to give up acting? Stuart Townsend, his co-star, doesn’t believe that.
“That’s not true, in my opinion,” the actor remarked. “By that point, he had undoubtedly lost his passion. That was a lucrative job.