Connery's moved on
March 9 2005
He may have clocked up an impressive CV as both actor and film maker, but
Jason Connery is still best remembered for his leading role in 80s TV series Robin of as Sarah Probert reports...
With his long golden hair and tight-fitting trousers, Jason Connery drove women wild as Robert of Huntingdon in
the cult TV series Robin of Sherwood. It was a programme which sparked renewed interest in the legendary tale of
Robin Hood and led to a merry following of both fanatics and conventions. Two decades later, still living in the
shadow of the series' success as well as being the son of the legendary Sir Sean Connery, Jason is keen to carve
a new name for himself and is looking forward to a busy year of both acting and film-making.
Yesterday, he visited Coventry University to open a new media production facility and announce a collaboration
which will see students show off their film-making abilities in Hollywood. The facility, which is the largest of
its kind in the UK and the third largest in Europe, houses an Avid system, production technology also used in the
film industry.
Connery said some of the 350 film students would establish links with a Los Angeles-based independent filmmakers
group, Short Mondays, to help them create and develop their film-making talents. This collaboration would include
works created at Coventry University being shown at regular festivals in LA and well-known film directors hosting
a series of masterclasses at the university.
Connery kicked off the collaboration with a masterclass on the making of his recent short film, The Hit. He said:
"These young students are raring to go and I thought it would be amazing to create a liaison between the two.
The students are all very creative people and hopefully it will give them the facilities and experiences to create
great film."
Short Mondays hosts regular screenings of short films and was recently chosen by controversial rapper Eminem to
premiere his latest video. For Connery, a collaboration with Coventry is just one of many projects he is working
on this year.
He has recently starred in the hit children's TV series Shoebox Zoo and is about to make a new film, William, later
this year.
He will also appear in front of the camera in Behind the Veil, which begins filming this week. "It is going
to be a pretty busy year for me. I am going to direct my first feature and that will be exciting," he said.
Connery has clearly left the days of Robin of Sherwood far behind, but the 42-year-old does not resent the fame
which still surrounds his brush with Robin Hood and Maid Marion. "I had been asked to go to conventions for
years and always refused. I did go to my first one recently and there were these women dressed in Maid Marion costumes
and they were talking about story lines I can't even remember. "It was quite nice really. I remembered what
a joy it was to do Robin of Sherwood. People still watch the DVDs and are now showing it to their kids," he
added.