Former Bond Girl Valerie Leon Recalls How Sean Connery Comforted Her On Set

Sean Connery became the first on-screen Bond and his performances proved very enduring. Movie fans remember his excellent job in the roll. Meanwhile, his castmates remember an engaging co-worker who actually helped them. For former Bond girl Valerie Leon, that included comforting her during their bed scene.

At the age of about 40, Leon became a Bond girl, renowned for her beauty, and representing a two-way confrontation with temptation. As a result, they shared a bed together, but Leon had some concerns. Fortunately, the James Bond actor did not just bring talent from his thespian background to set; he brought general compassion.

Sean Connery put Valerie Leon at ease

Sean Connery and Valerie Leon 1983 / Taliafilm via Fox News

1983 saw Valerie Leon with the role of Lady in the Bahamas in Never Say Never Again. The movie ended up Connery’s last Bond film after an absence that lasted over a decade. For Leon, it also marked the first time she had a bed scene.

“I did have this bed scene with him which I was quite worried about,” Leon stated. UK’s Daily Mail quotes her adding, “Despite my age, I had never done a bed scene on film, that’s for sure. So I was quite worried about that, but he did put me at ease for it.”

Perfectionism, professionalism, friendliness

By 1983, Connery was a well-established symbol of seduction / Everett Collection

Valerie Leon got to see firsthand that everyone goes through trepidations, even Sean Connery, who became a prolific handsome action star. This gave her some worries but at the same time his actions put all of them at ease. “We did share some fun times together — he was an incredible man,” she also stated, noting how Connery became not just a peer but a friend. Like a friend, he eased tensions during their big scene.

“Filming does take a long time and he is a perfectionist,” she explained. “He did stay in bed all morning. However, when his wife came in the afternoon to watch, he could not get out of bed quick enough! He was the world’s greatest sex symbol so no wonder I was worried about going to bed with the world’s greatest sex symbol but he put me at ease.