How Sean Connery Really Felt About Roger Moore And Daniel Craig As James Bond
As any fan of popular media knows, the Doctor isn't the only hero going around changing their face every few adventures. They're not even necessarily the most famous example of such a protagonist. No, that title could just as easily belong to James Bond, the spy who's slept with half of Hollywood. Interestingly enough, both protagonists began their journeys on-screen in the early '60s. Although Bond changes faces at a slightly slower clip than the Doctor, he's garnered an impressive actor count, with seven separate performers having donned the title over 27 films. Of these, the late Sean Connery is one of the most legendary to have done so.
In this way, his opinion was often sought out when other actors requested their martinis shaken, not stirred. Ever the vocal purveyor of his own thoughts, Connery rarely shied away from a chance to speak his mind. For the curious, here's his take on the late Roger Moore's and Daniel Craig's portrayals of James Bond.
Sean Connery preferred serious drama to campy comedy
In a clip from 1983 uploaded to YouTube, an interviewer asked Sean Connery, "What do you think is the difference between your playing of Bond and Roger Moore's playing?" In response, Connery provided an answer that sounded as if he wanted to say something entirely different but decorum dictated otherwise. He explained, "I think it's just a different appetite, that's all. ... [Roger's] is a sort of parody of the character as it were in that situation so that you will go for the laugh or the humor at whatever the cost of the credibility or the reality. ... I think he took another direction with it that way and acquired an entirely different audience."
Essentially, it seems that Connery felt that Roger Moore, who was the fourth actor to take on the role of James Bond, was playing 007 as if he were in a "Spy Kids" film instead of a "James Bond" picture. Without explicitly agreeing with him, the interviewer then shared that a recent poll placed Connery as the most beloved Bond, to which he replied, with a cheerful smirk, "You can't fight intelligence."
In a second clip from 2009 in that same YouTube video, Connery praised Daniel Craig, the newest actor to take on the mantle at the time. Unlike the previous clip, however, Connery was not asked to compare Bonds. No, the actor brought up Craig and praised him without provocation. On the continued success of the film series, he said, "It's the spectrum of actors, I mean, from myself to Daniel Craig, who I thought was fantastic, marvelous in the part ... the danger element, I think he really gets it."
Sean Connery allegedly had no qualms with Roger Moore
Sean Connery's quote in regard to Roger Moore paints a distinct picture that he was no fan of the direction in which the "James Bond" franchise had gone during Moore's tenure. That being said, there's no evidence to suggest that his disdain for campy action correlated to disrespect for Moore. Certainly, speculation arose, even back then. Rather than feuding, though, the two Bonds went on the record numerous times to remind the public of their long-standing friendship.
As noted by the Express, Moore once spoke about how the two actors were filming concurrent "Bond" projects. "[We're] no more than two jockeys who are going to be paid anyway for running the race. But it would be nice if you won because you'd get the extra bonus. But really, no more than that. Sean and I are friends." Further cementing their official stance, as noted by the Scotsman, Connery shared in a statement upon Moore's death, "We had an unusually long relationship by Hollywood standards, that was filled with jokes and laughter."
Both actors have passed away, so further speculation into their personal goings-on would be just that. Suffice it to say that they hopefully did the best they could with a friendship in an admittedly strange situation.