Connery unable to escape his past

EDINBURGH, Scotland, July 10 (UPI) -- Comments made by Sean Connery in the 1960s regarding domestic abuse have caused the actor to cancel an appearance at a Scottish festival.

The Scotsman reported that Sir Sean canceled a scheduled interview at the Holyrood Festival of Politics since it would have included questions about his alleged '60s statement that he didn't see "anything particularly wrong" about violence towards women.

Connery's ex-wife, actress Diane Cilento, has said that she endured mental and physical abuse during her marriage to the "Entrapment" star.

Connery will now appear at the upcoming 60th anniversary of the Edinburgh International Film Festival, whose artistic director Shane Danielsen has said that the controversial topic will be off-limits during their interview.

"He is the patron of the festival, so it seems that in our 60th year we should be commemorating that," Danielsen said.

"It seems ludicrous that he is continually having to defend himself against something that is at best rather conjectural," he told the paper.