James Bond Actor Sean Connery Had to Get Drunk in Order to Do Iconic Scene in ‘Dr. No’

Sean Connery played some memorable characters during his career but perhaps none more iconic than his role as Agent 007 in the James Bond movies. In the film Dr. No, Connery became the first actor to play the British spy for the franchise.

Although several others stepped in to portray the character after Connery, he is still considered one of the best to play the part. While the actor may have seemed like a natural as Bond, his co-star Eunice Gayson previously revealed that she had to get him drunk so he could get through one of his most famous lines.

Gayson played Sylvia Trench

Gayson played Bond’s recurring love interest, Sylvia Trench, in the early films. During one of her last interviews before her death, she spoke about working with Connery and how nervous he was when they were shooting scenes.

In the movie when Gayson’s character meets Bond at a casino she introduces herself as “Trench, Sylvia Trench.” Connery then replies with his introduction: “Bond, James Bond.”

Gayson revealed that Connery kept stumbling while trying to get out the classic line. “It sounds like an easy take, but it wasn’t,” she said (per Express). She remembered him saying things like “Sean Bond, Connery James” as he tried to get it right during the different takes.

She had to give Connery a few alcoholic beverages so he could say the line

Connery did end up delivering the classic line with ease and Gayson said that’s because she took him out for a couple of drinks.

“In the final take, he was so easy and assured but in order to achieve that I was seconded to take him into the restaurant and have a drink or two. As he’d been on the wagon for several months before filming started, I was worried how it would affect him,” she explained. “It did affect him but in a nice way because he came back full of the Bond image.”

Gayson added: “He said it in the most wonderful way. Every woman in the world wanted to meet Bond, James Bond after that. The director Terence Young said, ‘That’s exactly what I want, I want you to play it just like that.’ And Sean said to me, ‘The trouble is I can’t remember what I did.’”

Gayson said Connery’s role as Bond changed the film industry

Gayson stated that she believes Connery’s role as the special agent helped change how British women were cast.

“What a break for the British film industry because it created a brand new male star. And the market opened up for British women, too, because we were always the little wifey part, or the sister, or the aunt,” she said. “But the last thing we were was sexy… Cleavage? What’s that? That’s a naughty word. The film world discovered British women were sexy. They’d never seen them, never been allowed to see them in that kind of role … it was a breakthrough for British female actresses.”

Gayson died on June 8, 2018. Connery died two years later on Oct. 31, 2020.