“I’ll Shove It Up Your Ass”: Sean Connery Was Frustrated By One Indiana Jones Action Scene

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade‘s special effects technician, Mike Dawson, recalls the late Sean Connery becoming angry with him during one of the movie’s action scenes. Released in 1989, Steven Spielberg’s third movie in the action adventure franchise sees Harrison Ford return as the intrepid archaeologist once more, this time to quest after the Holy Grail. The Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade cast includes a number of newcomers, including Connery as Professor Henry Jones, Indy’s father.

In a recent interview on The Stuff Dreams Are Made Of podcast, Dawson reveals that Connery became annoyed while filming Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade‘s big tank action scene.

According to the special effects technician, the legendary actor took issue with his placement of smoke inside the military vehicle. Check out Dawson’s recollection of the occurrence below:

“He was inside the tank. The tank was an amazing piece of engineering because we built that tank from scratch. We were inside that tank, and it was my unenviable job to put a little bit of smoke in there. At the time, we were using oil and gas, so it was like a hot smoke. It wasn’t water-based as it is now.

“And he just turned round and said in a thick Scottish accent – because he could go Scottish when he got annoyed – ‘If you put that anywhere near me again, I’ll shove it up your ass.’ I just lost it. I was so scared at the time. It was almost like Sean Connery, a Bond, was going to kill me. I ran out. But he was alright, he calmed down afterwards. He did mean it at the time. I think he would’ve done it.”

Is Sean Connery The Best Indiana Jones Supporting Cast Member?

In every Indiana Jones movie, there’s typically a love interest and a sidekick. In Raiders of the Lost Ark, these positions are filled by Marion (Karen Allen) and Sallah (John Rhys-Davies), while Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom introduces Willie (Kate Capshaw) and Short Round (Ke Huy Quan). In the third movie, Elsa (Alison Doody) serves as the love interest, while the “sidekick” position gets something of a reimagining with the addition of Indy’s father.

The most common movies in the Indiana Jones franchise to be cited the best are the first and the third, and Connery’s involvement in the third movie is a major reason why the threequel remains so beloved. The film as a whole is the most lighthearted and fun of the five-movie franchise, and much of this stems from the father-son dynamic between Indy and Henry. The inclusion of Professor Jones also allows for an exploration of Indy as a character, which includes a glimpse at the hero’s childhood and why he turned out the way he did.

Choosing the best Indiana Jones supporting character is no easy task, especially when the likes of Marion and Short Round exist, but Professor Jones arguably helps flesh Indy out as a hero better than anybody else. Ford and Connery also undeniably have great chemistry, and the contentious but loving dynamic between their characters makes Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade scenes, like the tank sequence, especially charming, thrilling, and entertaining.