“He Was The Hero Of Our Times”: Andy Garcia On The Sean Connery Who Shaped Him

Andy Garcia’s admiration for Sean Connery began long before the two men shared the screen. Growing up in Miami Beach in the 1960s, Garcia spent entire days in the cinema, transfixed by Connery’s early Bond films. “One of the main reasons I was inspired to become an actor was because of Sean Connery,” he says. “Growing up in the ’60s in Miami Beach, his early work made such an impression: Dr. No and Goldfinger in the Bond series. He was the hero of our times.”

Garcia would sit through multiple screenings in a single day, starting with the matinee and staying until evening. “I didn’t know that I wanted to be an actor at the time, but I was enthralled with what I was seeing.” Connery, alongside Steve McQueen, James Coburn and Peter Sellers, became the constellation of performers who shaped Garcia’s early sense of what screen acting could be.

That youthful fascination made their eventual collaboration on The Untouchables feel almost fated. “It was destiny that I got to work with him,” Garcia says. “God works in mysterious ways. It was a great privilege for me. It was one of those things you think that someone will put a hand on your shoulder and say, ‘Wake up. It’s all been a dream.’”

Instead, Garcia found himself in Chicago, rehearsing with the man whose films had defined his adolescence. Connery’s approach was direct, instinctive, and often mischievous. During one rehearsal, Connery repeatedly jabbed Garcia in the ribs with a clipboard, the metal clip digging into him. Garcia knocked it out of his hands. Connery grinned: “I like that. Let’s do that in the movie.” The moment became part of their on‑screen dynamic — a spontaneous, unscripted beat born from Connery’s desire to provoke a real reaction.

That blend of humour, provocation and professionalism defined their working relationship. Garcia recalls a scene where he had to answer a phone while Connery, already dressed for golf, waited off‑camera. After a take where Garcia’s face wasn’t fully visible, Connery cut through the overthinking with a line that became legend: “Come on, kid, it’s not Hamlet: Just answer the phone, turn around; let’s get out of here.” When the next take still wasn’t quite right, Connery delivered another perfectly timed jab: “You saw two eyes. They’re just very close together.” Garcia laughs at the memory now, but the moment captures Connery’s razor‑sharp wit — and his ability to keep a set loose while maintaining absolute focus.

“His sense of humour was so quick, and you could be the butt of his humour very easily,” Garcia says. “And he would take it as well as he could give it. I would riff with him and try to hold my ground. And that was my relationship with him in the movie as well. I had to always come back with something. He wanted you to come back. He didn’t want you to lay down.” That back‑and‑forth became a defining part of their chemistry, both on and off screen. Connery’s warmth extended beyond the work, too. “He loved kids. He loved the fact that my kids were around on the set, and he would play with them. That showed the warmth of his character.”

Professionally, Connery set a standard that Garcia never forgot. “Sean took his work very seriously. He was a consummate actor, and he was highly prepared, so he set the bar very high. As soon as he walked into the room, he was ready, and you had to be ready around him.” That readiness — a mix of discipline, imagination and instinct — was something Garcia had admired since Connery’s Bond years, and witnessing it up close only deepened his respect.

Their final meeting came at an AFI tribute in 2009, where Garcia spoke in Connery’s honour. After the event, they shared drinks and conversation. Connery invited him to Nassau: “Come to Nassau. We’ll play some golf.” Garcia never made the trip. “I thought to myself, ‘Yeah, I gotta go do that.’ I never did. It’s a regret I have.”

What remains are the memories — of a childhood hero who became a colleague, a mentor, and a friend. Through Garcia’s stories, Connery emerges not just as a cinematic icon but as a man of humour, generosity and unwavering professionalism. A legend who inspired a young moviegoer in Miami Beach, and later welcomed that same young man as an equal.

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