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Motion
Picture October 1965
IMPERTINENT
QUESTIONS ABOUT A MOST PERTINENT MAN
Sean
Connery doesn’t like to talk about his private
life…His wife, Diane Cilento, doesn’t like to talk
about hers…What did we do? Asked her to talk about
his-and it worked!
Diane
Cilento is a radiant blonde with blue-gray eyes that can
warm a man's heart when they beam on him. But those eyes
can frost up to a steely gray when questions about her
private life are posed, particularly those concerning her
famous husband, Sean Connery. And that was precisely my
problem, for I had been forced to promise not to ask her
questions about Connery before the interview had been
granted.
The question was solved somewhat by an enterprising
Italian lady journalist who also had been allotted time
with Diane, and as a result, the wife of the screen's
redoubtable James Bond was more than generous in allowing
us to query her about many facets of her life with Sean
that are not normally fair game for interviewers. Here
were the findings:
Q.
Does your husband have any cravings? (And this crazy
question set the mood for the rest of the interview.)
A.
Cravings? Only for potato chips. And he likes to cook them
himself.
Q.
Does he influence the clothes you wear and your hair
styles! And does he have any preferences?
A.
To a certain extent, I am influenced; but I'm not obliged
to him, and I don't dress to please him. Sean likes me to
be chic, to wear sporty styles, and he always notices when
I have a new outfit.
Q.
Is there a James Bond influence in Sean's clothes when he
is not on the set?
A.
Not really. I would say he dresses with a certain gusto
and likes sporty clothes.
Q.
Has he ever accompanied you to your designer.
A.
No. However, he sometimes buys costumes for me, which are
usually more expensive than the ones I choose.
Q.
And do you ever accompany him to the tailor?
A.
On only one occasion have I been to the tailor's with him.
That was when he wanted a special suit of white linen and
he wanted my advice. Then in the Bahamas he sent it to the
cleaners and they ruined it.
Q.
Do you go out with him often?
A.
Very often. In fact, we're always out together.
Q.
What are Sean's fatherly feelings for Jason?
A.
Sean's love for Jason is a magnificent thing. Little Jason
is only two years old, but Sean treats him most of the
time as if he were an adult. Other times he treats him
like a newborn child.
Q.
When he's not working on a movie, how does he spend his
time at home?
A.
Sean acts as any other man would act about the house. He
also likes to while away the time playing chess with me.
Q.
Do you sleep in the same room? If so, how does your
husband react to small problems-like does he like the
window open or closed, bed covers or no bed covers?
A.
Wow, what a question! Anyway, let's see. Yes, we sleep in
the same room. About the windows, we're both accustomed to
sleeping with them open so there's no problem. However,
we're not in agreement when it comes to bedclothes. I'm
sensitive to cold, probably because I'm Australian; while
Sean, perfectly Scottish, is not. Then again, Sean is not
a very orderly person, but I'm even more disorderly, so
it's not an unusual thing for me to cover myself with a
disorderly mountain of bedclothes while he hardly has any
at all.
Q.
How did you and Sean come to meet?
A.
We met in a British television studio when we were both
booked to work in an O’Neill play.
I was the lead and Sean had the part o fan Irish
sailor.
Q.
Was it love at first sight?
A.
Not at all. I
regarded him only as a fellow actor, someone I had to work
with.
Q.
What was your reaction to him after the television
play had finished, and how did he conduct himself toward
you?
A.
Sean often amused me by the way he went about things.
For instance, one day he called at my home to
discuss the script. Someone
must have told him that I was a snob, so almost as soon as
he walked in, instead of sitting on a chair, he stretched
himself out on the carpet and began to talk about work.
He was sure that he had shocked me.
I treated him as though I thought he had behaved in
the normal way.
Q.
What do you think is Sean’s most sterling
quality?
A.
Honesty. And
that he was so different from other actors I’d met
because he gave prime importance to the real things of
life, and did not waste any time on those stupid little
idiosyncrasies that can be characteristic of show
business.
Q.
Did you find that he still retained this quality
after you married?
A.
Yes, in fact, Sean now regrets that he had wasted
so much time on those idiosyncrasies that are often
considered musts
for a dedicated actor.
Q.
Which of you began to court the other in the early days of
your friendship?
A.
Don’t you think that’s too personal a question?
I can say that at that time I was on the go a lot,
and everytime I returned to London I would find him
waiting for me at the airport.
He had also been writing me long letters.
Q.
Does Sean take a special interest in household
problems?
A.
He takes enough interest.
One thing is for sure, he’s usually not very
happy about having visitors in the house. Now
that he has become famous, it often happens that he finds
himself followed and spied on by young admirers, and this
disturbs him because he values privacy.
Q.
If Sean’s in a bad humor, what do you do to counteract
it?
A.
That’s a loaded question.
We’ll pass that one.
Q.
Does your husband react to you with authority or with
sweetness?
A.
I’m surprised that you are so interested in
Sean’s character down to the last authoritative, sweet
detail.
Q.
How then does he react if something breaks in the
house, like a tap or a lamp?
Does he try to repair it?
A.
Well, we always work together as I’ve told you,
so we sort out the problem of having it fixed.
Q.
Do you and Sean have a great deal of time to see
your friends?
A.
We see our friends when we have the time.
Q.
Does Sean watch TV very much?
A.
Sometimes.
Q.
What is his major defect and his best quality?
A.
We’ll pass that one too.
Q.
In your opinion, what character has Sean played in movies
or on the stage that most resembles his true character?
A.
I’ve never thought of Sean as a character in the
movies or the theater.
I see my husband first, then the people he
portrays.
Q.
How do you explain Sean's overwhelming recent success?
A.
Why do I have to explain it? Hundreds of articles have
been written about it.
Q.
Is he a conversationalist?
A.
Enough of a conversationalist.
Q.
Does he have a yen for jokes?
A.
He appreciates them, but he's not a narrator of jokes or
anecdotes.
Q.
If you want an important gift from him, what tactics do
you employ?
A.
What a question!
Q.
When you or one of the children is not well, does he
worry?
A.
Naturally!
Q.
And if he is ill do you worry?
A.
Naturally!
Q.
When Sean accepted the role of interpreting the James Bond
image, it's been said that he didn't expect any of the
success that followed. If that was the case, how has he
really reacted to his upsurge in popularity?
A.
He expected a restrained amount of success, so the melee
that followed caught him by surprise; but, contrary to
what has been said, it did not alarm him.
Q.
Can you truthfully say that his tremendous popularity has
not altered his character, even a little?
A.
Success always modifies, to a certain extent, the
character of the person involved. With the success that
Sean has had, I can say that some things about it don't
please him at all. It annoys him that many people treat
him as if he were the character he plays. Also, it annoys
him to think that the character he portrays, to many
people, is more important than he himself. But as far as
his relationship to others is concerned, there have been
no great changes. Sean is always the same.
Q.
Does your husband keep arms in the house?
A.
We once had a revolver, but it and lots of other household
items were stolen by burglars.
Q.
When Sean's preparing for a trip, does he plan everything
in advance or does he pack his bags at the last minute?
A.
Usually at the last minute, and then I have to help him.
Q.
When confronted with a sudden disappointment, does he
react with calmness or with rage?
A.
He really gets angry.
Q.
Is he jealous?
A.
Yes, he's Scottish and the Scots are terribly attached to
what is theirs.
Q.
Has he ever regretted his decision to get married?
A.
Well, if he has, he's never told me anything about it.
Perhaps if you can pin him down sometime, you might dare
ask him that question yourself.
Q.
In the history of show business marriages, it is recorded
that two actors in the family is one actor too many, and
that many show business marriages are quite tumultuous and
last a short time. How have you resolved this problem?
A.
Well, for some time now I have restricted my work
commitments, and have turned down a few job offers to be
with him, particularly when he has had to travel. In a
case like now, when I'm doing a little more work, we make
certain to keep in touch by phone.
Q.
How did it happen that you decided to resume work again?
A.
Well, first of all, I can’t recall giving up
work; and, secondly, I'm an actress and enjoy acting.
Q.
Recently there has been a lot said about a crisis in your
marriage.
A.
I also read it in the newspapers, but what do people want
us to say about it? There has not been any crisis.
Q.
Do you often have differences of opinion? And usually who
is the first to admit defeat?
A.
You know, one doesn't keep track of these things between
husband and wife. When people love each other, the storm
passes and everything returns to normal.
Q.
Is there anything about the house that always annoys him?
A.
Nothing that I know of.
Q.
Is there anything that he particularly cares about at
home?
A.
Well, he cares about anything that is remotely connected
with his work. I wouldn't know how to put my finger on
anyone object that is particularly dear to him.
Q.
Does Sean follow a diet?
A.
No. He eats normally and everything that he likes. If his
weight goes up a little, he reduces the amount he eats,
but so does any actor.
Q.
Does he have a great appetite?
A.
Well, he's not a big eater, but he doesn't have to be
coaxed to come to the dinner table.
Q.
Does he like to cook?
A.
No, unless it's potato chips.
Q.
Does he have a good memory for family dates?
A.
Yes, and if we are more than an eight hour flight away
from each other, we telephone. Otherwise we try to have a
family get-together.
Q.
What does your husband do when he returns home at night?
A.
Nothing special. He's just a husband who comes home at
night. If we have decided to go out, we get ready to
leave. If he has to get up at dawn the next day, we stay
home.
Q.
When he's preoccupied with something, does he talk about
it much?
A.
Well, when the preoccupation concerns the family we
discuss it. Isn't it the same way in every family?
Q,
Does Sean change moods easily?
A.
No, I wouldn't say so.
Q.
Does your husband have a fear of getting old?
A.
As much as any other actor, I imagine.
Q.
Who takes the initiative at home?
A.
I've already told you that we both take a mutual interest
in the home.
Q.
Does Sean look at other women when you walk together
through the street?
A.
I would say women look at him.
Q.
Does he get enthused easily?
A.
What should he get enthused about?
Q.
When he is at home does he like to be waited on, or does
he like to do things for himself?
A.
When one has a home, one wants to live well and have
everything functioning smoothly. If the telephone rings,
there is always someone to answer it, and to pass on the
communication. He's not overly-fond of talking on the
phone.
Q.
How would you describe your husband?
A.
To me he's simpatico, attractive, and just everything.
-BY
BRIAN ATHERTON
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