Sean Connery turned down role he said was 'disgusting' which other actor won Oscar for

Daily Record

14-06-2025

Sean Connery turned down a number of iconic roles during his career, including one which won the actor who took on the role an Oscar, as he found it 'disgusting'
The iconic actor and silver screen legend Sean Connery once rejected a part that might have landed him a Best Actor Oscar, finding it "disgusting". Connery, who passed away in 2020 at the age of 90, left behind an astonishing array of work, not least his portrayal of James Bond and an Oscar-winning role in The Untouchables.
Even so, among the various offers he declined were parts that went on to become some of the greatest roles in film history, including one particular character who featured in a film which won five Oscars. Despite turning down the proposition due to its "disgusting" source material, there's a consensus among fans that this was the right decision by the 'Goldfinger' actor.
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The concern amongst devotees of the Bond legend was that Connery would have reshaped the character too much in his own image instead of adhering to the required tone of a thriller.
According to a post on the r/TodayILearned subreddit: "Of the various roles Sean Connery turned down, they included Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs, John Hammond in Jurassic Park, Morpheus in The Matrix, Dumbledore in Harry Potter, and Gandalf in Lord of the Rings. Of the Hannibal part in particular, Connery felt it was too 'disgusting'."
Jonathan Demme, the director of The Silence of the Lambs, confirmed that there was a considerable effort exerted to secure Connery for the film, but he ultimately rejected the offer.
Demme recalled: "Sean Connery was the only other person I thought could be amazing for this. Connery has that fierce intelligence and also that serious physicality. I love Tony Hopkins, but Sean Connery could be amazing.
"Word came back shortly that he thought it was disgusting and wouldn't dream of playing the part. So, great, now we can go to Tony Hopkins."
Movie buffs were relieved Connery snubbed the part as there was speculation about how he would interpret the role of the nefarious cannibal, Hannibal Lecter.
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Anthony Hopkins, who embraced the character in three films, earned an Oscar for Best Actor for his performance in 'Silence of the Lambs' in 1994.
One social media user wrote: "What's funny is that while may have passed on them, the actors who took them made them into iconic performances."
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Another added: "There are two types of actors: those who transform into their characters, and those who transform the characters into themselves.
"Connery is the latter. He didn't transform into James Bond, Ramierz from Highlander, or the submarine commander from The Hunt for Red October; he was just Sean Connery in each of those roles. All those roles he turned down would've just been Sean Connery."
A third shared: "That's my takeaway every time this comes up. He passed on some iconic roles, but they probably wouldn't have become iconic in the first place had he NOT passed on them.
"I try and imagine him in those roles and it just doesn't fit. Sean Connery had star power but he's not the kind of actor who can do anything and become anyone, and that's fine."