• pjwestin@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    I heard this story, not sure if it’s true, but I choose to believe it and will not hear any corrections; apparently, he was approached about Gandalf, but he turned it down because he didn’t really understand it. Then he was approached about Dumbledore, but turned it down because he didn’t really understand it. After seeing how those two franchises turned out, he said, “screw it, I’m taking the next role that I don’t get.” That role was Alan Quartermaine in League of Extraordinary Gentleman. After that movie bombed he retired from acting altogether.

    • GratefullyGodless@lemmy.world
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      14 hours ago

      He didn’t quit acting just because the movie bombed. Him and the director had such epic fights on the set of the movie, that BOTH of them quit Hollywood afterwards.

          • pjwestin@lemmy.world
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            10 hours ago

            In all seriousness though, thank you for the information, but I will still continue to believe that Sean Connery gave up acting because he could no longer figure out what good or bad movies were.

    • BluesF@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      That role was Alan Quartermaine in League of Extraordinary Gentleman. After that movie bombed he retired from acting altogether.

      Which is a shame really because I remember it being… Kinda good? Clearly not a work of great art, but fun action silliness. Admittedly I watched it as a kid and never again so who knows really.

      • PapaStevesy@lemmy.world
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        21 hours ago

        It has some of the worst dialogue and pacing of any movie I’ve ever seen. I can see how it would be fun as a kid, but even as a teenager, it sucked ass.

      • pjwestin@lemmy.world
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        21 hours ago

        With adult eyes, it’s pretty bad. Also, it’s an adaptation of a much better Alan Moore graphic novel.

    • Buddahriffic@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      I’d also argue that however the movie did after the fact, turning down roles you don’t understand is probably the smarter option. Maybe those other movies would have also flopped if they had Connery in those roles.

      Like I can’t picture him doing a good Gandalf. It wouldn’t be Gandalf, it would be Sean Connery in a wizard outfit. I can’t think of any roles where Connery played someone who wasn’t Sean Connery. He brought a lot of charisma to his roles but not a ton of range.

      • pjwestin@lemmy.world
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        20 hours ago

        I agree that he wouldn’t have been right for either part, but I’m sure they still would have been very successful franchises. Also, he probably wouldn’t have gotten either part (definitely not Gandalf), they were just approaching him about it. Producers on Batman (1989) were in talks with Bill Murray and Pierce Brosnan before they moved on to Michael Keaton, but it’s pretty unlikely either one would have made it.

      • BluesF@lemmy.world
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        1 day ago

        Jesus can you actually imagine if LOTR had Sean Connery instead of Ian McKellen? Hideous prospect. No shade to Connery, he’s played some of my favourite characters over the years, but christ that would have been a terrible mistake.

          • Rooty@lemmy.world
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            21 hours ago

            “You shall not pash!”

            “Is it shecret? Is it shafe?”

            “When did Sharuman the wishe replace hish wishdom with madnessh?”

            You could play this game all day long