Nicolas Cage Reveals His Biggest Regret When It Comes to His Friendship with the Late Sean Connery
Nicolas Cage Reveals His Biggest Regret When It Comes to His Friendship with the Late Sean Connery
Erin Clack, Raven BrunnerSun, October 11, 2026 at 10:55 PM UTC
0
Nicolas Cage in 2024; Sean Connery in 2013Credit: Tiffany Rose/Getty;Uri Schanker/WireImage -
Nicolas Cage opened up about his friendship with the late actor Sean Connery during a spotlight panel at New York Comic Con on Saturday, Oct. 10
He shared his biggest regret when it comes to their friendship
The two actors shared the screen in 1996’s The Rock
Nicolas Cage says he has a big regret when it comes to his friendship with the late actor Sean Connery.
Cage, 62, opened up about their close bond during a spotlight panel at New York Comic Con on Saturday, Oct. 10. He shared a story about passing up an opportunity to spend some time with Connery on the green.
“I was all about fishing [at the time], and I like being on my boat,” he said. “And Sean wanted to get me on the golf course.”
Cage went on to explain that the two had a “great relationship.”
“He was very avuncular. He was somebody that I considered a friend. We were friends. I would visit him at his house,” he said, emphasizing his regret over the fact that he never got to play golf with the Diamonds Are Forever star.
Nicolas Cage and Sean ConneryCredit: George Pimentel/WireImage
“But I never went on the golf course because I just didn’t have time for that,” Cage continued. “I just wanted to be on my boat. I just… when I had my free time, I wanted to go fishing. And I feel to this day that I should have taken him up on it and learned how to play golf.”
Asked to share his favorite James Bond movie that Connery starred in as 007, Cage said, “Goldfinger. Come on!”
Cage and Connery developed a friendship after starring together in 1996’s The Rock. In the action thriller, directed by Michael Bay, Connery and Cage played a former SAS captain and an FBI chemical weapons expert, respectively, who attempt to disarm missiles from a rogue group of Force Recon Marines who have taken control of the former prison on Alcatraz Island.
Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage in ‘The Rock’ (1996)Credit: Everett Collection
The movie was a box office hit, becoming the fourth highest-grossing film of the year.
Advertisement
Speaking with Entertainment Tonight on the set of The Rock 30 years ago, Cage described getting the opportunity to work with Connery as “a dream.”
“He was one of my heroes,” he said. “When I was a kid, I would go see his movies and think, ‘That’s what a man should be. So to work with him, it was definitely a dream.”
— sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Nicolas Cage at New York Comic Con on Oct. 10, 2026Credit: Craig Barritt/Getty
In 2016, he told the outlet that Connery had “a huge influence” on his decision to become an actor. “Going as far back as Dr. No, which I saw at a drive-in movie theater with my father, I knew I wanted to be like that,” he explained, sharing that the pair enjoyed having late-night conversations about cinema — and more.
“We would have a scotch together and just talk about his life,” Cage told ET.
After Connery died in 2020 at the age of 90, Cage shared a touching tribute to his friend.
“I admired Sean so much,” he said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE at the time. “I was happiest when I was working with him — his wisdom, humbleness and extreme honesty have guided me ever since I met him.”
Cage continued, “He was my friend and greatest teacher in cinema. The first movie star to lead the way in combining drama, action-adventure and comedy. He did it all effortlessly and with dignity. Maestro, you will be missed.”
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
