fleeting visit to Venezuela, a country I wanted to know

By Aquilino José Mata
Photo García Solís

Since his first appearance on the giant screen as the protagonist who plays James Bond, the famous agent 007, Sean Connery is a celebrity in the world of celluloid and belongs to the kind of actor that the public identifies him with a character, despite the fact that he gives then twelve years ago he gave up on continuing to do so because of the desire to project his work towards other types of films that are no longer so spectacular or imaginative.

The superhero created from the pen of the English director Ian Fleming had such an impact that it was virtually impossible to get rid of it. This is what Sean Connery himself said at the press conference offered yesterday in a hotel in the capital, where he meets his second wife, Micheline Roquebrune, a French painter who accompanies him during the interview.

With the help of Gloria Mirós, who worked as a translator, this slow-talking actor with sun-tanned skin and fairly pronounced baldness answered questions, most of which revolved reasons he had for not continuing to act in that series.

“The producers of the Agent 007 films were very greedy,” he says, “they wanted to relegate me to the background as an actor to get the production going.” In this sense they were very demanding and I, a person who comes from the theater, have other concerns and this is why I didn’t want to classify myself into one thing. It seems silly to me.

“So it bothers you to be identified with James Bond?”

Not as much as the press has insisted on pointing out. I recognize that James Bond was the lever that projected and consecrated me internationally. Before that he had only acted in films with small roles, almost always playing Latin characters. When they selected me to do 007 I was the first one surprised since I had never done anything like this. In short, I think it was not something so bad because it allowed me to continue in the cinema in other roles and to remain there, until today, with the same poster.

One of Sean Connery’s biggest ambitions as a director is to get to direct his own films. He says he has not yet granted this old wish for strictly economic reasons.

—I am not as interested in production as I am in directing. The problem is that it’s something extremely expensive and millions only come for seasons. In this sense I have projects, but these have been set aside due to the economic impossibility of realizing them. As an actor, there are some outstanding things.

-Like what?

– Right now I’m talking to John Ianis, the same producer of Treasure, for a film based on a work by Alberto Moravia, entitled The lie. Filming will take place in Paris and Montreal. I also took a script by Robert Bort to Caracas to study it which tells the story of a group of Jesuit missionaries. It is entitled The mission and is set in Paraguay. It is very likely that this film will be shot in Venezuela; the manufacturer says the steps are similar. If the project is implemented, we will do it at the end of the year.

Currently, Sean Connery lives in Spain. With his wife Micheline he lives on a farm he owns called “Malibu”. It is located in Marbella, on the Costa del Sol. The actor says he had to leave England on the run from taxes, which he considers excessive there.

– It has been said that I live in Spain to evade taxes and that is not entirely true. I pay them anyway wherever I work, what happens is that people can bear a minimum of tax income, but not reach the astronomical sums required in England, where for this concept you have to pay up to 98% earnings. Three years ago I decided to settle in Spain for this reason.

– In your opinion, what were your best films?

– There are several and among them I can mention two by Sidney Lumet: The hill of misfortune, Y The crime. Also one of the most recent, The man who would be king directed by John Houston.

Comments by Sean Connery referring to Hill of Disgrace that this film didn’t have the impact it should have because Metro Goldwin Mayer, the production company, was determined to promote Doctor Zhivago, that’s why the other film, despite its high quality, didn’t get the resonance it deserved.

—Which actresses did you feel most comfortable working with?

—For various reasons I prefer to work with professionals in every sense and that is why I like to work with those who do not show “temperament” or stardom. Gina Lollobrigida is one of the actresses I got on best with. However, the first day we were shooting he decided to be late on set and we spoke in a few words. After that, that incident was over and we finished shooting harmoniously. Today we are great friends.

Born in Scotland, and despite residing in Spain, Sean Connery is tied to the political life of his country. He is a member of the Scottish Nationalist Party, which supports the total independence of Scotland from the United Kingdom.

—We just won 106 seats in Parliament recently, which is good progress. Scottish laws and customs are different from those of England and I believe we are entitled to our independence. I am one of those who think that the more divided the world, the better. I disagree with the great powers, I think they should be demoted to more manageable and more human factions. There are always problems of digression and distrust, and the lower the dose of each, the better.

Sean Connery also chairs the Scottish Education Foundation, an institution he created to serve disadvantaged children and promote the development of theater and music among the region’s youth.

“I’m always active in getting funds for the foundation,” he explains. On June 13 I have to go to Minneapolis to attend the premiere of A bridge too far my latest movie. There I hope to raise 40,000 pounds. Also, as something symbolic, I donated to the institution what I earned by doing Diamonds are eternal, the last James Bond movie I made. I say it is a symbol because in this way it defined what I consider the first phase of my profession from which I currently live.

Sean Connery had heard a lot about Latin America, and in particular about Venezuela and Cuba, the two countries on the continent that he most wanted to know. The first wish has already been granted. Now plan to satisfy the second.

—In a few days, when I leave Venezuela, I will travel to Cuba. I have heard many stories from that country, before Castro. There is a very interesting process that I would like to know, to hear more closely. I want to see what is happening in Cuba.