A fake letter from Sean Connery to Apple co-founder Steve Jobs is making the rounds on social media following the actor’s death on Saturday. Just to reiterate: it’s fake, the product of humor site Scoopertino, which posts satirical articles about Apple and goings-on at its Cupertino (get it that’s the name) headquarters.
The typewritten letter dated 1998 purports to show Connery’s outrage over Jobs asking him to appear in an Apple commercial. “I do not sell my soul for Apple or any other company. I have no interest in ‘changing the world’ as you suggest,” it states. “You are a computer salesman, I am fucking JAMES BOND!”
But the internet loves things that are too good to be true, and Sunday morning, the “letter” was circulating on Twitter.
Jon, I respect your views but please look at the research debunking this letter. It hurts us all when good people circulate fakes. https://t.co/IHNO8bvPX7
— Steven Levy (@StevenLevy) November 1, 2020
So, it does sound like something Connery might have said/typed, but I think the first giveaway is the little “007” watermark in the lower right corner of the letter. Connery tried for years to break free of James Bond, and by 1998 he had moved on to other roles.
And as our friends at CNet noted, the fake letter also went viral in 2011 thanks to another unsuspecting Twitter user.
As with anything on the internet, always remember to trust but verify. In this case, trust that this “letter” was a parody— and kudos on whatever SEO magic you did here Scoopertino, because it’s clearly evergreen content. Which we usually love in the internet business, but only when it’s true.
