This Is Why We Never See Sean Connery Anymore

Sean Connery (aka Sir Sean Connery for those across the pond) is one of the few actors with that natural "old Hollywood" allure. His charming, rugged, debonair mystique is one of the reasons he was a perfect choice to play the legendary role of James Bond. Between 1962 and 1983, across seven films, the Scotland-born actor portrayed the blueprint to the international secret agent character that would continue to be an iconic role for many more.

However, Connery — who celebrated his 90th birthday in August 2020 — didn't peak with "Bond, James Bond." He went on to star in classic films, including the 1987 film The Untouchables — earning him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor — Dragonheart in 1989, as well as Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade the same year.

After a career of a little over 50 years, Connery left the film industry for a much sweeter deal. Before shifting his lifestyle, the proud Scot — "Scotland's Greatest Living National Treasure" and "The Greatest Living Scot" if we're keeping things accurate here — snagged quite a few accolades that hold serious bragging rights. 

He was declared "Sexiest Man Alive" in 1989 and "Sexiest Man of the Century" in 1999 by People Magazine. To add even more bada**ery to his repertoire, he was officially knighted by Britain's Queen Elizabeth II in July 2000. So why don't we see Connery on screen anymore? Let's take a look into it.

Sean Connery filmed his last movie, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, in 2003, and he was pretty quiet about his absence from the silver screen until 2006 when he received his Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Film Institute. He officially announced his retirement by stating, per Hollywood, "I have retired for good. It's been a bit rough since Christmas but I'm perfectly okay and I feel well. In fact, I'm working on a history book."

It was pretty perfect timing for him, though. Not only did the actor accomplish just about everything he could at the age, but he was also recovering from a surgery that removed a tumor from his kidney. According to a spokesperson for Connery, via The Guardian, the actor was "very fit" and had made a full recovery. 

Although surgery can make someone want to slow down a bit, there was one movie that Connery considered coming out of retirement for — keep reading to find out what it was.

There was a moment there when Sean Connery was willing to reprise his role as Indiana Jones' father, Dr. Henry Jones, from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, for the 2008 installation, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The film's director Steven Spielberg gave Connery a call and tried to pull him out of retirement, but, after much consideration, Connery denied the role, according to The Hollywood Reporter's Heat Vision.

"I spoke with Spielberg, but it didn't work out," Connery said in 2007. "It was not that generous a part, worth getting back into the harness and go for. And they had taken the story in a different line anyway, so the father of Indy was kind of really not that important. I had suggested they kill him in the movie, it would have taken care of it better."

He also added in an official announcement obtained by Slash Film that "retirement is just too damned much fun," which is pretty hard to deny. And just in case no one believed Connery, his good friend and actor, Sir Michael Caine, confirmed this same sentiment. He said that Connery would never act again because "he didn't want to play small parts about old men and [the movie business wasn't] offering him any young parts in romantic leads," per The Telegraph. Ouch.

Besides wanting to leave on the top of his career and enjoy the fruits of his labor, Sean Connery wasn't happy with the film industry's direction. In a 2005 interview with The Scotsman, the actor stated, "I'm fed up with the idiots [..] the ever-widening gap between people who know how to make movies and the people who green-light the movies." He added, "I don't say they're all idiots. I'm just saying there's a lot of them that are very good at [being idiots]." 

However, the actor's criticism hasn't stopped fans from showering him with praise. Case in point: In August 2020, he was named the best James Bond ever in a Radio Times poll. It's hard to argue with those results! 

The bottom line? Connery's reported net worth is $350 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth, so he can disappear from Hollywood as long as he wishes. Enjoy your retirement, Mr. Bond.