[imagesource: Associated Press]

This past weekend, Sean Connery passed away at the age of 90 at his home in Lyford Cay in the Bahamas.

Following news of his passing, tributes poured in from around the world, as many mourned the loss of the man widely considered to be the greatest 007 of all.

At the same time, some of Connery’s past statements related to hitting women resurfaced, leading to the now-familiar refrain of ‘too soon’.

We saw something similar in the wake of the death of Kobe Bryant, for example, who faced rape accusations back in 2003.

In Connery’s case, many would argue that no trial is needed, because the actor’s words speak for themselves.

Back in 1965, an interview he gave to Playboy Magazine was pretty revealing, reports NewsAU:

[He] infamously told Playboy in 1965, “I don’t think there is anything particularly wrong about hitting a woman, although I don’t recommend doing it in the same way that you’d hit a man. He added that an “openedhanded slap” is “justified” if “all other alternatives fail and there has been plenty of warning,” and further said, “If a woman is a bitch, or hysterical, or bloody-minded continually, then I’d do it.”

More than 20 years later, during an interview with Barbara Walters, the subject was raised once more.

Again, Connery stuck to his guns:

In 1993, he backtracked somewhat in an interview with Vanity Fair, suggesting his words were taken out of context:

“I was really saying that to slap a woman was not the crudest thing you can do to her. I said that in my book — it’s much more cruel to psychologically damage somebody … to put them in such distress that they really come to hate themselves. Sometimes there are women who take it to the wire. That’s what they’re looking for, the ultimate confrontation — they want a smack.”

Hmm, still seems like he could have done more.

Finally, in a 2006 interview with the Times of London, he hit the nail on the head:

“My view is I don’t believe that any level of abuse against women is ever justified under any circumstances. Full stop.”

There you go, Sean.

However, 2006 was also the year that Connery’s first wife, Diane Cilento, to whom he was married between 1962 and 1973, wrote in her autobiography that he was abusive towards her.

Cilento died from cancer in 2011, and Connery has always denied her claims, calling Cilento an “insane woman” and saying she “can’t move on from the break-up of our marriage” during an interview in 2008.

This seems like a decent place to end.

It would be a disservice to characterise Sean Connery in any other way. The achievements of a man can be celebrated while the nature of their character is revealed so others can learn from it.

— Tarang / तरंग (@tarang_chawla) November 1, 2020

If you have been the victim of domestic or gender-based violence, you can find a helpful list of resources here.

[sources:newsau&times]