Sean Connery may have played the world’s most unshakable secret agent, but even he had a moment where fear got the better of him. Known for his confidence and charm, the Scottish actor seemed invincible as James Bond, whether facing gunfire, car chases, or villains with deadly gadgets.
But off camera, one scene from the 1965 film ‘Thunderball‘ pushed him far beyond his comfort zone.
Sean Connery’s James Bond Mission Brought True Danger
By the time ‘Thunderball‘ was released in 1965, Connery had already become a global star as James Bond. At 6’2”, with a background as a boxer and nightclub bouncer, he seemed perfectly suited for the role of the daring secret agent. But even he had his limits.
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In this fourth Bond film, 007 is sent to the Bahamas to find two stolen nuclear warheads taken by the villain Emilio Largo, played by Adolfo Celi. Largo lives in a grand estate and proudly shows Bond his swimming pool filled with sharks. He calls them Golden Grotto sharks, claiming they are “the most dangerous and savage” in the world.
In reality, there’s no such species. On-screen, Bond calmly replies, “Charming.” But when it came to filming the shark scenes, Connery’s calm vanished. Director Terence Young later admitted that Connery’s fear seen in the movie was completely genuine; the danger was very real.
How The Scene Went Wrong
During one major scene, Bond sneaks into Largo’s compound at night and ends up in the villain’s pool while fighting one of his men. A cover closes over them, and a hatch opens, which releases sharks into the water. When Connery first read this part of the script, he immediately refused to do it.
He reportedly said, “Not bloody likely,” and made it clear he wouldn’t swim with live sharks. After some convincing, he finally agreed, but only on the condition that proper safety measures would be in place. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned. On the day of shooting, the two key safety setups failed.
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The protective glass, meant to keep the sharks away, wasn’t complete, and one shark managed to get too close. Suddenly, the situation turned dangerous. The stuntman in the pool panicked and shouted, “Get me out of here!” while everyone realized just how close the sharks really were. So, Connery’s fear wasn’t acting at all; he was genuinely terrified.
In the final version of Thunderball, Bond escapes from the pool and casually says, “Sorry, old chap, better luck next time.” It’s a classic Bond moment, but behind the scenes, it had been a truly risky situation. Connery went through with the scene, despite the scare. Those who worked with him later said he never forgot that day; it remained one of the few times he openly showed fear during filming.
