HOW TO ACT 007—SEAN CONNERY “My name is Bond—James Bond,” Sean Connery informed the world’s movie-goers in 1962. In seven Bond films over a span of 21 years, the tall, dark Scot come to embody the suave secret agent whose code name was known around the globe: 007. But it didn’t go very smooth to be a successful star. The exception was Robert Henderson, a 47-year-old Yank who was directing South Pacific. One day, Henderson had a long talk with the muscle man whose determination seemed irrepressible. Connery told Henderson he hoped to become a professional soccer player. “Well look,” said Henderson. “ With soccer, at 28 or 30. it’s all over. Then what do you do? Wouldn’t you rather be an actor?” “How?” asked Connery, “ I left school at 13.” Henderson nodded. “You’ve practically no education. But you have an imagination and a mind. I will give you a list of ten books that you should read.” The “ten” books that Henderson had mentioned were more like 200. including the complete works of Shakespeare, Thomas Wolfe and Oscar Wilde. But Connery tackled them—every day, applying all the energy and tenacity he got from his parents. He would go to the library in the morning and stay till curtain time. Late at night, he would sit up with his tape recorder, hearing a voice that certainly wasn’t Polish and was sounding a little less Scottish. Acting, he decided after a year of this, was going to be his career. And for his new life, Connery had chosen a new first name. In 1957, the BBC produced Rod Serling’s play Requiem for a heavyweight. The down-and-out prize-fighter, Mountain McClintock, was played by a young actor who had boxed in the Royal Navy. His name—Sean Connery. The same year, Connery was cast in a production of Anna Christie. The title role was played by ash blond Diane Celento. She was to become Connery’s wife a few years later. By then Connery had appeared in five forgettable films—but in one of them, he caught the eye of Walt Disney, who brought him to the United States in 1958. Disney cast him as Michael McBride, the love interest in a story about leprechauns called Darby O’Gil and the Little People. In the film’s climax, McBride has a rousing fistfight with the village bully. Among those who took note of Connery’s screen presence in Darby was producer Harry Saltzman who, with co-producer Albert R. “Cubby” Rroccoli, was casting a film of their own based on Dr , the 1985 novel by Lan Fleming. Connery was called to the producers’ London office for an interview. “We watched him bound across the street like Superman,” said Saltzman later. “We knew we had our Bond.” But lan Fleming, author of the James Bond novels. Had casting approval and was harder to persuade. “He’d have loved to have had Cary Grant in the role, but there wasn’t enough money for that.” Says Connery. “So he was obliged to agree that I would do it.” Play it Connery did, and splendidly—five times in all in the 60s. from Dr, No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger and Thunderball to You Only Live Twice. His debonair charm and magnetic good looks on screen captivated audiences around the globe. Small boys from Chicago to Rome could tell you exactly what 007 said when Goldfinger threatened him with a laser: “Do you expect me to talk?” “No, Mr. Bond. I expect you to die.” But 007 did not die. The Bond pictures’ success permitted Connery to move his wife, their son, Jason, and his stepdaughter into a town house overlooking London’s Acton Park. He was also able to buy his parents a more comfortable home and persuade his father to retire. He also set up Scottish International Educational Trust with $1 million. To help underprivileged Scots go to college. 1962年肖恩·康納利向全球的影迷宣佈：“我叫邦德—詹姆斯·邦德。”在21年間的七部邦德影片中，這位高大，黝黑的蘇格蘭人表現出的溫文爾雅的特工形象，使全世界對他的代號都耳熟能詳：007。 然而要成爲成功的明星並非易事。多虧了羅伯特·亨德森，一位正執導《南太平洋》的47歲的美國人。一天亨德森與健壯的康納利進行了促膝長談，康似乎已打定注意。他告訴亨德森他想當職業足球運動員。 “那麼想一想，”亨德森說：“踢完球，到28歲或30歲，就完了。然後你怎麼辦？你願不願意當演員嗎？” “怎麼當？”康納利問道，“我13歲就輟學了。” 亨德森點點頭。“你是幾乎沒受過教育。可你有想象力，有頭腦。我可以列給你十本書的名單，你讀一讀。 與其說亨德森提及的是“十”本書，不如說是二百本，其中包括莎士比亞，托馬斯·烏爾夫和奧斯卡·王爾德的全集。但康納利啃下了它們——秉承着父母堅忍不拔的精神，他每天埋頭讀書。一大早就去圖書館一直呆到夜晚。 深夜，他通宵達旦地聆聽錄音機，播放的聲音當然不會是波蘭語可也不像蘇格蘭話。一年後他決意選擇表演來作爲他的職業。對於新的生活，康納利選了一個新名字。 1957年，英國廣播公司製作了羅德·賽林的劇目《重量級拳擊手的彌撒》。片中那位一敗塗地的職業拳擊手蒙頓·麥克林托克，由一名曾在皇家海軍打過拳的年輕演員飾演。他叫——肖恩·康納利。 同年，康納利在影片《安娜·克麗絲蒂》中飾演角色。片中角色由有着淡褐色頭髮的黛安·賽琳頓扮演。幾年後她成了康納利的妻子。 那時候，康納利已出演過五部不起眼兒的影片——但在其中一部中，他引起了沃爾特·迪其尼的注意，1958年迪斯尼把他帶到了美國。迪斯尼叫他扮演麥克爾·麥布賴德，一個在名爲《達比·奧吉爾與小人國》的深受歡迎的矮妖精故事中的角色。影片的高潮中，麥布賴德與村裏的暴徒展開了驚心動魄的拳鬥。 康納利在《達比》一片中的表現受到包括製片人亨利·索斯曼的注意，當時他正與合作製作人阿爾伯特拍一部由1958年伊恩·福萊明著的小說改編的影片《否博士》。 康納利被招到製片人的倫敦辦事處去接受面試。“我們看到他如同超人一般躍過街道，”索斯曼後來說。“我們曉得他就是我們要的邦德。” 而詹姆斯·邦德小說的作者，伊恩·福萊明已有了人選而且很難回心轉意。康納利說“他本來選取定卡里·格蘭特扮演該角色，但因爲錢不夠，所以他只得同意由我來演。” 康納利不僅演了，而且異常精彩——六十年代有五部片子，從《否博士》到《愛在俄羅斯》，從《金手指》，《霹靂彈》到《你只有兩次生命》。他在銀幕上溫文爾雅以及極具吸引力的形象征服了全世界的觀衆。從芝加哥到羅馬小孩子都能確切地說出當金手指用激光槍威脅007時的對白： “你想讓我講話嗎？” “不，邦德先生。我想讓你死。” 然而007並沒有死。邦德影片的成功使康納利得以把妻子，兒子賈森，和他的繼女搬進城裏俯瞰倫敦阿克頓公園的居所。他也爲雙親買了一棟更加舒適的宅院並說服父親退了休。他又用了一百萬美金建起了蘇格蘭國際教育機構，來幫助貧困的蘇格蘭青年上大學。
