I’ve been a huge fan of The Hunt for Red October ever since I saw it in theaters when I was 14-years-old. The movie has since become what I would call a “remote dropper,” meaning if I happen to scroll by it on my TV looking for something to watch, there’s a better-than-excellent chance I’ll settle on watching the Sean Connery-led submarine movie again. I just learned that Connery almost turned down the role of Soviet sub captain Marko Ramius, and a fax machine was to blame. Boy, that takes me back.
Connery Argued The Plot Made No Sense In The Context Of The Time
The Film Almost Looked Completely Different
The reason Connery was even offered the part was that Austrian actor Klaus Maria Brandauer (who co-starred with the Scot in Connery’s final Bond movie, Never Say Never Again, and later in The Russia House) had a conflict and had to drop out of production after he was initially cast as Ramius. That would have made for a very different movie. That wasn’t the only difference that could have been.
According to producers, they initially reached out to Kevin Costner to play Jack Ryan, a role that would eventually go to Alec Baldwin. Costner was in the midst of getting Dances With Wolves off the ground and didn’t have time. They also wanted Harrison Ford in the role, but he turned them down. Of course, Ford would later replace Baldwin in the role in Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger. As much as I love Ford in the role, I’m actually partial to Baldwin, so I’m happy about this eventual choice, as well.
For the generations who have come after the invention of email, fax machines are a bygone relic of the past, no different than rotary telephones and buggy whips. The fact that a cover sheet didn’t get transmitted isn’t surprising, but thankfully it was all a misunderstanding. The Hunt for Red October isn’t nearly as good without Connery.
