Shortly after Sean Connery died, we ran a feature on the site going over all of the roles that made the actor an icon (outside of the James Bond franchise). The more that you stopped and thought about Connery’s on-screen accomplishments, the more it cemented his status as a Hollywood legend. I mean, the dude waltzed into the Indiana Jones franchise – when Harrison Ford was at the peak of his coolness – and stole the show away from his fellow A-lister. That takes levels of talent most of us just don’t possess.
One such memorable role on Sean Connery’s resume would be that of Jim Malone in Brian De Palma’s gangster saga The Untouchables. Talk about a Murderer’s Row of talent. De Palma cast Robert De Niro as larger than life Chicago criminal Al Capone, then set Connery, Andy Garcia and Kevin Costner as the team that would bring him to justice. Costner recently shared his thoughts regarding Connery’s passing on Twitter, stating:
I, like the rest of the world, was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Sean Connery this morning. Sean was a crafted actor who was enormously proud of his body of work, particularly his work on stage. And although he was a very no-nonsense person, he was incredibly inclusive with me professionally and personally. He was the biggest star that I ever worked with and I will be forever grateful to be linked with him on film. Sean Connery was a man’s man who had an amazing career.
This coming from a Movie Star like Kevin Costner carries a great deal of weight. Similar to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Connery was meant to be support to the lead. Costner was cast as Elliot Ness, for God’s sake. The man who takes down Capone. But you don’t add Sean Connery in a supporting role. You cast him, and then you get the hell out of the way, so he can make your picture better.
Kevin Costner tells two sweet stories about Sean Connery on this segment of The Rich Eisen Show in 2018, calling Conner “the real deal.” It’s worth a watch.
It’s so cool to see one movie star honoring another. It’s easy to forget that the stars we flock to see on the big screen started out as fans like us, and they had celebrities and actors who they deeply admired… and got a little star truck once they got to be around them, or even work with them.
There’s a humble honesty to Costner saying in his Tweet that he’s “forever grateful” to be linked to Sean Connery in a film, because film is forever. This memories last, and they inspire generations of storytellers who want to follow in the wake of people like Costner and Connery, and try to fill their massive shoes.
