Rewind: Sean Connery talks about going bald & making "The Rock"

Here's my 1996 interview with Sean Connery where we talked about how he handled going bald, working with Walt Disney, and making "The Rock" on-location.

[@skylinerunner1695]

It took some balls to ask him about his baldness, and credit to Connery for taking it in stride.

[@roddyboethius1722]

50 percent of men go bald. It's hardly a scandal

[@rolandofgilead43]

@@roddyboethius1722 true but it's the 1st interview i've seen that he was asked about it

[@frontenac5083]

Way more than 50 pct will have some kind of hair loss. Most men will. @@roddyboethius1722

[@rcfred_689]

I agree, I would have been very nervous to ask that question - Sean was biting his lip initially, but he handled it well

[@rolandofgilead43]

@@rcfred_689 that he did there is am interview with Keith Richard's I watched a last month where he was asked what kind of guy was Charlie watts? That took Keith by surprise and he asked why do you want to know? He replied we always hear about when someone passes but nobody ever asks what kind of guy was he? Or something like that he said as I said Richard's was pretty surprised by the question

[@starwarsroo2448]

" these guys were the pros, they were the real thing, sheals"

[@colinbooth531]

I briefly met Sean in Switzerland at an air show a couple of years before he passed away. I didn’t bother him but it was a thrill to see such a living legend in the flesh.

[@TheCandyButcher807]

What a legend you are for not bothering him, I have this attitude as well as I’d be too scared they’d be annoyed. Especially with a gentleman like Sean

[@TEMINIX]

How unacceptable that you not harass him ceaselessly for autographs and photographs and treat him like a non-person.

[@fabiosplendido9536]

So when you say "met" you mean "saw".

[@leonardceres9061]

@@fabiosplendido9536 he might’ve said hello to him or something like that and just left it like that. Meaning he didn’t want to bother him further. most people don’t include every tiny detail in a story, It’s up to the reader or listener to fill in the blanks. To me if somebody says they met somebody it’s because they were close enough for an actual greeting.

[@SiGhast]

I love how Sean's face lit up when asked about going bald.

[@raul_jocson_]

I love the look of kind camaraderie that Connery gives you when you talk about losing hair. It's like "poor guy, I know exactly what you're talking about, I've been there myself".

[@anthonyluisi7096]

Met Mr. Connery while he was sitting on his stairs outside his flat in London while he was reading the newspaper . My buddy and I were walking to breakfast about 8 am and there he was … I just said to him good morning , made eye contact and he said good morning … and we just kept walking . I said to my friend , “ well you don’t see that every day …Sean Connery reading the newspaper in his outside stairs … we then laughed our asses off in disbelief 😂

[@boltonpete6093]

90s style of interviewing. Great questions, no social media, and no clickbait, just concise conversation.

[@savedfaves]

It's not even '90s, it's just genuine questions. There are several people who even today ask genuine questions in interviews. The trick is avoiding certain shows.

[@user-lx5do4zc6n]

What a complete and utter silly comment. You don't have a clue about anything

[@TheJustinJ]

Hot Ones

[@user-lx5do4zc6n]

@@TheJustinJ just say it: you hate black people and want to fist them

[@shaftlamer]

Before education went down the shitter

[@nigelcarren]

The warm dewey-eyed look Mr Connery gave the interviewer when he addressed the baldness was wonderful! Like a master taking delight in sharing his wisdom. His description of someone coiling up a wispy rats-tail made me think of a Walnut-Whip! 😉👍🇬🇧

[@chefduane3742]

I have a close friend that started to go bald in his late 20's. He said "I'm not going bald, I'm just getting more head."

[@M4nvrs]

Genius! Haha!

[@HeroInTheSun]

A beautiful face requires more space

[@drmattathias]

​@@HeroInTheSunVery good.

[@gsalazar8176]

Thank you

[@Revolver1981]

Late 20's he's lucky then. I started going bald at 17.

[@chrisweidner4768]

Sean was excellent in “The Rock. He also acted in many incredible dramas. Grew up watching this genius.

[@natwolf687]

Genius? Is he really good at math or something?

[@1who4me]

RIP Sean Connery. The true Bond. The only Bond.

[@mariusdaniel5293]

So TRUE

[@natwolf687]

Him and a few other guys, yeah.

[@DavidOakesMusic]

Have you never heard of Roger Moore Tim Dalton Daniel Craig Pierce Brosnan.

[@claudiocorleone7856]

Sean Connery is the best example of going bald and still look great. ‘’ leave your head be” ……Sean Connery when asked about wearing a wig outside filming.

[@denniswhite9721]

Every guy on the planet, myself included, has pointed to Sean Connery as a role model for hair loss! Now, not everyone has his basic great looks, but emulating his style can go a long way!

[@ClaimOfRightMuso]

Ah, Sean Connery. As a fellow Scot, I can say that he's one of our greatest, recent Scottish heroes who brought such a lasting, global, positive image to our small country. Thanks for the memory, big man

[@AbeTheSigma007]

Earlier this year, I was at happy hour in a very nice steakhouse. There were three people sitting at a booth and one gentleman who must have been in his late seventies had a striking resemblance to Mr. Connery. I left and and when I walked to my car, he was smoking a thin cigar and checking out my car. I asked him if people have told him of this resemblance. He looked at me and grinned in agreement. Then he looked at the back of my car and saw the license plate frame that says Shaken, Not Stirred. He got a kick out of that. And to top it off, I was sporting my hat that says You’ve Had Your Six. I tell you, it was almost like talking to Connery himself! RIP…

[@Ultimabendessen]

@@AbeTheSigma007 I love that story. The punch line was that he wasn't Sean Connery 🤣

[@AbeTheSigma007]

@@Ultimabendessen I’m so glad that my comment was so well received! Be well to All…

[@shaftlamer]

Don't worry the WEF-shills and degenerates you have been electing the past few years wiped all that out.

[@stringer-ik1pc]

He couldn't wait to get out of the shithole that is Scotland. Yet he didn't mind bowing down to the Queen of Scotland,England for his knighthood.

[@polemikful]

I like Sean Connery

[@9sunskungfu]

Lovely story, thanks for sharing it. At least you got to meet him !

[@divinegon4671]

You love to ramble and include nonsense in your “story”

[@polemikful]

@@divinegon4671 Yes I do. But wait, by "nonsense" you mean my intents of describing my perceptions and feelings?

[@pitcat1376]

@@polemikful It's a great story and I think you did a fine job telling it. 👍

[@21Rodge]

Thank you for sharing, I felt I was there with you reading your story.

[@bbb462cid]

The Rock. A James Bond movie in which Bond is a secondary character.

[@Utubesuxmycock]

Incell

[@wal743]

Very relaxed, polite, nice. A real pro, a real man. I'm 49 yo, and baldness begun on my head at 18-19. It was never a serious matter, for me. Thanks also to some guys, like Bruce Willis, and obviously Mr. Connery himself... ❤️😎🍸

[@Subfightr]

I love that he asked the balding question.

[@Utubesuxmycock]

Well the interviewer is bald too

[@MadBrit26]

Brilliant actor and greatly missed. So many brilliant films but remember going to see The Rock at our local Odeon, great times.

[@gildylan8703]

This is a first rate junket interview, to the point, concise and the sneaky personal last question once you get the warning - well done

[@take2markTV]

Thanks Gil for the kind words. Sometimes the 4 minutes go very well. It's always a good sign when the crew laughs as was the case here.

[@Great_Sandwich]

Actors have to do a hundred of these per day. I always felt that if you can get the actor to smile or even laugh through one of these, then you've reached them. Well done.

[@davebudge4526]

Connery was a fascinating guy super smart and well read, tough as nails (you feel you wouldn't want to cross him) but when he smiled or laughed you feel the room kinda lift up.

[@miked1869]

I started going bald in my twenties. After a few years of half-heartedly trying to hide it, I embraced it by getting my hair cut really short (a "number 2" all over). Soon after that I thought, "Why on earth am I still paying someone to cut my hair?" I invested in some electric clippers and I've been doing it myself ever since, which is hugely liberating. My advice to anyone beginning to lose their hair is the same as Mr Connery's - cut it short, the shorter the better. I think the main cause of angst for balding men isn't how they look now, but how their appearance is going to change over time. You can overcome that by just circumventing the process. It's a bit like quitting your job before you're fired. 😊

[@flyingfrogperson9200]

I got the same advice from a bald guy. The thing is, his shaved head doesn't look as great as he imagines it to be. Some people just hate the feeling and look of no hair.

[@miked1869]

@@flyingfrogperson9200 are these people that 'hate the look" the ones that _have_ no hair, or the people that are judging them?

[@flyingfrogperson9200]

@@miked1869 the only ones judging bald guys are themselves or other bald guys ironically.

[@skylinerunner1695]

It's true about being terrified of baldness. For me it's the prospect of no longer attracting the opposite sex and looking older than my age. I'm not balding but @Miked1869 gives good advice here if tthat day ever comes.

[@HextimusDuex]

I went long. I've only lost it in the back so I just tie some of it over that. Problem solved.

[@whip57]

Great interview, you could sense Sean felt like the interviewer knew his stuff and was asking intelligent questions.

[@stephenmartland-buck9590]

Great response to the question. I had longer hair all through my teens and 20s and loved it. Noticed I had started thinning at 28 and cut it all off. It was hard at the time because it felt like part of my identity but I can't imagine getting messed up about it. Age and nature take their course, we gotta deal with it and move forward 👍

[@Michlandir]

Such a great interview, wonderful job Mark! 😎👌🏽

[@sm5574]

Great questions, got him talking about things we don't normally hear about in celebrity interviews.

[@alexshmalex]

What a charming bloke. Great little interview, thanks for sharing.

[@johnmccann8319]

One of the best actors ever!❤

[@markrutter2486]

Spot on x

[@Hirnlego999]

He did the best Russian 🤣

[@elijaprice]

Connery seemed to be actually enjoying the conversation, which I wasn't expecting! Usually with these junket things now, actors seem so false, whether they're being overly sincere or comedic or whatever, they're desperate not to make a mistake and get social media-ed to death. Connery, it's as if he's just sat down on a park bench in the sunshine, and is happy to have a random chat for a few minutes.

[@BTD1717]

Lovely interview, and a great universally-human moment to break the "movie star" finish. Well done!

[@samking4179]

so great that you asked that question and so great how he responded...about the hair that is.

[@Tondars]

Great interview. Unusual but intriguing questions that kept Mr. Connery engaged.

[@mackenzie77777]

This is the best Sean interview ive seen. Sean wasn`t bothered about answering about baldness. Charming interviewer.

[@panteraxenos4789]

The very first film I ever saw at the movie theatre was " Darby O'Gill and the little people" ..1963 . I was five. Charming Disney movie with Sean .. Nice memory..

[@sandman_says_runrunner4701]

I was the same age and I agree it is a great movie... though the Banshee, Death Coach, and Pooka horse (by the old well) gave me nightmares for weeks. 😆 EDIT: Sorry, wasn't even paying attention and didn't realize that this is a 2+ year old post.

[@TheIronistIX]

Great questions! Thanks for sharing

[@-Finlander-]

Fantastic interview! Loved every second of it! Too bad Mr. Connery is no longer with us!

[@petersmithyy4556]

I miss actors like him. The old timers are the best.😊

[@jonboz7585]

I’ve always admired Sean Connery, even more as time goes by, especially when coming across such interviews. RIP, Sean Connery, and thanks for making this world a bit more enjoyable.

[@westmcgee9320]

Damned good video clip/interview. Also, thank goodness for compartmentalization.

[@nadnavlis240]

Great questions. Much more interesting than the usual.

[@brendanjamieson]

Very charismatic interview on both sides.

[@GracelessTarnished]

Legend. As the saying goes, "they dont make them like they used to."

[@scottw5315]

There is a Sean Connery out there but they don't put real men in movies today.

[@oldtimer7635]

That´s a consolation in many ways, because we are supposed to go forward, not backwards. Connery was a product of his time, in good and worse. Amazing individual and an actor.

[@rogerengland7692]

I'm not sure why we're meant to go forward and most don't even know which direction forward is. If something is good, you don't move 'forward' for the sake of it,surely? ​@@oldtimer7635

[@playthroughcinema]

great actor and fellow brit, been 3 years since he passed now... I'm not usually hit hard when a celeb passes... because you know I never actually knew them... but his one got me. I remember telling my mum... I said sean connery has died and as I said it my voice kind of broke but I held it together but she heard it. Being british you know you grow up with james bond and then the rock is one of my fav movies. I always like to think of the rock at the end when I think of sean... where he just disappears with that sweet music playing. Dearly missed.

[@manolokonosko2868]

I'be been bald for about 25 years. While I have to watch for the sun and wear a hat or sun protector, and buzz it sometimes 2x a week, I mostly don't miss the shampoo, conditioner, and monthly trips to the barber. I never really looked good with hair. It was dry and couldn't be done in certain ways.

[@kelownatechkid]

This is a great interviewer, fun but good questions!

[@EscutCavaller007]

Very good interview!

[@THX-C]

Great interview.

[@lancewalker6067]

I miss Sean. One of a kind.

[@bloqk16]

Connery, along with Yul Brenner, Telly Savalas, and Ed Harris''s thinning hair, all served as inspirations when I was losing my hair . . . as in: "Those guys losing their hair did not detract from their masculinity. Since it works for them, it works for me."

[@mandu6665]

There's a great tidbit about Yul Brenner and Steve McQueen in The Magnificent Seven: Steve McQueen tried to draw attention from Yul Brynner by taking off his hat to shade his eyes as he looks around just before they drive the hearse to the graveyard and bending down from his saddle to dip water with his hat as the whole crew crosses a stream. Finally Brynner said to him, "If you don't stop that I'm going to take off my hat, and then no one will look at you for the rest of the film."

[@kusuma.kusuma]

Wonderful "old school" interview. Really dug this one. As a massive movie fan, I have seen SO many junkets. And this one felt refreshing.

[@neonh161]

Sean Connery was a true mans man, he was a member of only a handful that graced our screens..

[@Jensley_Report]

Great interview!! 🎉

[@paulwood4142]

I'm re watching the old bond movies, what a great man, the perfect bond.

[@ikkenhisatsu7170]

Always cool. There's no one else like Sean Connery.

[@witoldwitoszekrecords3253]

When you are as handsome as Conerry you look equally good either with hair or without it. It doesn't matter too much.

[@mandu6665]

Don't even need the looks as long as you have a sense of humor about it and wear it with confidence. I've been on first dates and women have asked what happened to my hair and I just say something like "See that guy over there? Yeah, they left me for him." or "They said they were going on a vacation but that was 10 years ago." There will be women who will turn you down instantly because you're bald but they're probably not that fun anyways.

[@stepabove2136]

Definitely the best bond of them all 😮.

[@RataStuey]

Really great interviewer

[@woodyallenfan]

Great interview 💫

[@kevinbrennan-ji1so]

Fun interview. Good questions.

[@darj617]

His take on guys who sport combovers is hilarious and very true. Looks ridiculous and doesn't fool anyone.

[@BigBadJerryRogers]

Well it does if you only go out in public at night and the lightning is dim.

[@sratus]

Hmmm yeah but he walked around with a wig on his head for years.

[@ronniep9272]

I've seen pictures of him with longer hair and a combover in the 70s so he didn't always follow this advice.

[@davidmundowyahoo7839]

​@@sratuspretty sure he only wore wigs in films and even then he made plenty of films without one

[@TheRealBGregz]

@@sratusOnly in movies, when it was pushed onto him for a specific role.

[@CompoundNihilist]

Superb questions.

[@dlaface7237]

I love that you asked him about losing his hair. It’s so easy for people to say shave it or get over it. It’s not that simple to a lot of people. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a celebrity asked that question and I appreciate both the question and answer as someone who worries or stresses about hair loss from time to time. I’m sure alot of celebrities wear toupees or won’t allow that question too but it s interesting to hear what it was like for someone in their position. IMO at least

[@seanseoltoir]

By the time my hair loss would have been noticeable, I had been in the military and gotten used to a crew cut... The difference between 1/4" of hair and no hair just didn't seem to be that important to me...

[@sratus]

Connery wore a wig for years

[@14goldmedals]

Finding Forester is a movie I always drop the remote and watch. Sean is a man that exudes wisdom like very few other men can.

[@lukemallory7832]

You're the man now... dog.

[@paulwood1790]

I have a full head of hair and im 44 i have shaved it off a couple of times just to see what id look like, Sean Connery what a legend

[@th7297]

Like Mark, I am freaking out. On the flipside, Sean’s thoughts about a snake taking off in the wind are exactly what I always thought, except that this metaphor is a really nice way of putting it 🤣🤣👍🏻

[@TrumbullComic]

It took a lot of guts to ask him about going bald. Smart to save that until the end in case he responded badly.

[@marcgreaves4354]

baldly*

[@southlondon86]

@@marcgreaves4354😂

[@DarkSpartan062]

How could he get upset about a balding guy asking about baldness? Lol. To all my shiny headed bros I salute you!

[@missingno88]

@@DarkSpartan062 this lol he could get away with the question because the interviewer was experiencing the same thing. easy to talk about when you can relate to it

[@ricogomez4020]

That was cool about the losing your hair question.

[@US_ARMY_25_INF._DIV.]

You can tell Sean likes his line of questioning.....Sean did not suffer fools lightly ....

[@rogermiller1053]

Sean Connery one of best bond s ever.

[@LeShark75]

I started to recede quite quickly at around 21 years old. It didn't take long for me to go with a number 2 all over then a number 1. I've never looked back.

[@dorfmanjones]

I don't know about 'The Rock" but Connery was great in 'The Hill." Now THAT was a movie!!

[@GaryMorell]

Sean never wore a hairpiece in his private life, nor did he ever have cosmetic surgery, he was always secure and comfortable in his own skin.

[@adib396]

Good interview.

[@CloneShockTrooper]

Good interview

[@DiscGoStu]

That was so incredibly refreshing to see a real actor interviewed by a real journalist who came prepared with with excellent questions

[@US_ARMY_25_INF._DIV.]

You can tell Sean likes his line of questioning.....Sean did not suffer fools lightly ....

[@DiscGoStu]

@@US_ARMY_25_INF._DIV. Big time! That’s why I enjoy Hot Ones with Sean Evans, he’s constantly impressing his subjects with thoughtful questions

[@jacquelinecorso7968]

An excellent actor and a true movie star!!!

[@jongreen6422]

Loved him in Highlander love how he speaks

[@JedRichards]

“Cut it short” yep, no more needs to be said really 😂

[@sratus]

He wore a wig for years.

[@Dentspeed]

I love it!

[@watchgoose]

what a great man.

[@toxicmatrix1337]

I started losing my hair at 15

[@skip741x3]

Im 63 and my brother is 57... we both went bald near our 20's... at that point , hair club for men was the "Big thing" for guys loosing their hair and he went for it big time... I had zero intrest in hair pieces, weaves, transplants and all that...I would much rather come to the point of being at peace with oneself and the inner grace that comes from that understanding and self acceptance...my brother got the hairclub thing and believe it or not, he is still wearing it! Im shocked that the company even exists this many decades later and with no advertising...I remember,when he would go in for the maintainence of that thing, I came along once to see the place..Instantly I was greeted by a guy, wearing an obvious hairpiece along with some manufactured confidence.. he tries to sell me on getting the hairclub and I told hims no thanks bro, no interest at all... he seemed shocked.. I loved connery's response to the question... "its no big deal.. just cut it short"... what happens with people who have never come to a point of self acceptance is that, hairpiece or transplant or whatever, inwardly, the issue that bothered them has never been faced, its only been avoided,covered up...I can still see the insecurities still there behind the hairclub guys eyes and false confidence he tried to project....the inner grace that comes to someone who has moved beyond it "Even being an issue" is absent ...its still something that inwardly preoccupies their mind and a secret they have to guard...

[@rotoscopic8757]

By the time he landed the role of 007 in the first Bond, 1962's Dr NO, he had already lost enough hair to make the use of a toupee necessary to play the character. But he was still Bond on and off the screen, toupee on, toupee off.

[@matthewhood7844]

In a way i was lucky that i started losing my hair at 16 because i never got a chance to get hung up on it. Guys I knews in school who had great hair made part of their personality and grieved its loss. I always appreciated that Connery would wear a toupee in a movie but do press for it with his natural head.

[@mi39471]

4:56 That look after being asked about having no hair😵‍💫

[@m444ss]

re baldness: John Wayne was also bald. He didn't care one bit. He said he wore the wig in movies and personal appearances b/c the fans expected him to look a certain way. But when he was on his boat or just chillin' at home, he went au naturale up top

[@williamshaw9047]

He didn't care because he was a rich and famous movie star, like Sean Connery, whose reputation was secure.

[@jonathanayres6005]

Great man

[@djtforever1414]

It seemed like Sean enjoyed that interview.

[@jeffnettleton3858]

I have read (not sure of the veracity) that one of the things that caused such a shock at the infamous bad press junket, in Japan, during the filming of You Only Live Twice was the shock of seeing Connery, without his hairpiece (and in casual clothes, after a long and tiring flight). My father wore a toupee, through the 70s and 80s, while teaching; but abandoned it by the time I was in college. I suspect it was my mother's idea, more than his, as he had been balding since college and his time in the Air Force. My maternal grandfather and great grandfather were both balding and with my dad, on the other chromosome, I figured, at an early age, that I was doomed and vowed to just cut my hair short. I went through college on a Navy ROTC scholarship and served as an officer, for 4 years after; so, I was used to short hair. I kept it after the military, but my hair didn't noticeably start thinning until I approached my 40s. I was just happy I outlasted my older brother, so I could stick it to him for several years.

[@RataStuey]

Jesus.. his face changing from sort of cross to being pleasant at the beginning when the interview started

[@KC-nd7nt]

A man's man to be sure

[@Matlockization]

Sean is a man's man.

[@icarus1416]

dude used to deliver milk to my grandparents way back when.. Stockbridge Edinburgh

[@sureshot8399]

I liked Sean pretty much all of Sean's movies, particularly The Man Who Would Be King - IMHO his best, and Michael Caine's too.

[@ScratchyBaws]

I think he was making a reference/joke towards Bobby Charlton at the end there🤭🤣

[@ironcity4182]

35, same here as the gray started. At 43, my beard and mustache 95% gray while my hair mixed as the horse slowly starting 😂 Funny thing, being part Scottish, I got same type beard as Mr Sean Connery with dark mustache and gray beard.

[@DominicMagrinoMassageTherapist]

I miss his voice ❤

[@senecaaurelius1811]

17 years old and my hair started falling out. Now, at 46, my head is a solar panel for my sex machine. 😅

[@peteranserin3708]

This interviewer is good. He leads with a completely unrelated question then BOOM Alcatraz. Not like a lot of them who throw some hard BS questions at you.

[@pronemanoldbutyoung5548]

I mean that man, Sean Connery, had the integrity and believed in himself that of a hundred men or more. ❤