While Sean Connery might be James Bond to a generation, there are others who remember him as Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez: Connor MacLeod’s immortal mentor in 1986’s “Highlander.” The film became a cult classic and inspired a host of sequels and related media. According to director Russell Mulcahy, though, Connery almost walked away during the production after an incident with co-star Clancy Brown, who portrayed The Kurgan.
“When Sean and Clancy Brown, who plays the villain, had their first big fight, Clancy was meant to burst in and slice the table in half with his sword,” Mulcahy told The Guardian. “But he struck it with the flat of the blade, and it broke. A shard shot over Sean’s head. He was on the verge of walking.” The director revealed that Connery called a meeting to discuss what had happened, and Brown was extremely apologetic, saying that he made a mistake because he was anxious about acting next to a cinema superstar like Connery. Without hesitation, the Scottish actor let the incident go and suggested that his own stunt double do more in the future.
