Modern & Mature (Dec 2005)Eileen Condon
Pierce Brosnan was disappointed to be hanging up his Bond tuxedo, he reveals to Eileen Condon. But life with his family and the chance to really flex his acting muscles now beckons...
He may have hung up that famous Golden Gun, but former James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan is still very much on target and ready for action. The Irish-born star has somewhat reluctantly handed over the Bond reigns, to 37-year old actor Daniel Craig, after admitting he'd love one last shot at playing the Iconic role.
And looking at Pierce today, you can see why. Tall, dark and incredibly handsome, he still oozes the suave and sophisticated charm that helped to make him one of the most popular Bonds since Sean Connery. In fact, after losing some of the Bond bulk, necessary for the action-packed role, Pierce's new leaner physique makes him look at least a decade younger than his 53 years and the star admits himself he's feeling in better shape than ever. So has the former secret agent discovered the secret of eternal youth?
"I always try to keep up physically, as an actor," he says with a disarming smile. "You should have stamina, because emotionally, spiritually, psychologically it's a kind of warfare out there. I try to be as disciplined as I possibly can. I try to live a fairly kind of clean life. I do yoga. I do the bike and road work, do weights and swim.
“I do whatever it takes. I work at staying in shape because it's what my profession is about. You're constantly being judged so I have to watch what I eat, though I love my pint as much as the next man," he adds, the famous blue eyes twinkling.
He proved that recently when he downed a pint of Guinness in one after accepting a special award from a prestigious glossy lad's magazine - proof that, though his Bond days may be behind him he's is still a firm favourite with fans of all ages. Part of that appeal has been his refreshing honesty about being dropped from the Bond role. The tough-guy actor revealed an endearing vulnerability when he admitted he felt deeply disappointed.
"I thought I'd do a fifth Bond," he says with a sigh. "But I got a call from my agents saying the producers had changed their minds, which is their prerogative, but it was disappointing and I was in shock for about 24 hours."
However, not one to dwell on the past Pierce is taking a philosophical approach to the decision and now says handing over the 007 crown might just be his best career move yet. "I've been very aware of painting myself into a corner," he says of the Bond role. "For some time I've had the desire to break out of a mould which I'd seen close in around me - albeit a very good one, which gave me a very good career. I know something had to happen. I had a great decade playing the character and I'll be forever grateful for the opportunity that I got and being part of that legacy, but everything comes to an end," he says with a resigned shrug.
Fortunately, the talented actor has proved he's not just a handsome face, but a pretty astute businessman too. He set up his own production company Irish Dream Time, which means he can pick and choose his roles, and the company has already produced a string of successful films such as Evelyn, The Thomas Crown Affair and Laws of Attraction, all of which Pierce starred in during breaks from the Bond movies.
However one of the main reasons the star is truly excited about life after Bond is that it means he gets to spend more time with his family. The devoted dad has two young children, Dylan, eight, and Paris, four, with his wife Sheely Kaye Smith. He also has a grown up son Sean by his first wife, the late actress Cassandra Harris, and is adopted dad to her two children Christopher and Charlotte, and it's clear his large extended brood mean everything to him.
"I'm a family man first and foremost," he smiles. "My family is my sanctuary. It's what I work for." Unlike many of his Hollywood contemporaries Pierce has endured stability in both his marriages. His first with Cassandra lasted for more than 15 years, until her death from cancer in 1991, and he and Keely have been a couple since 1994. "Ultimately I think you have to solve your problems because you do have them in a marriage," he says of his enduring relationships. "So you have to keep that line of communication going and respect."
And despite being one of the most famous men on the planet the star has gone to great lengths to keep his family away from the limelight and ensures they're usually by his side wherever he works in the world. Perhaps part of the reason Pierce places so much value in family life today is because of his own troubled childhood. Born in Navan, County Meath, Pierce was just a baby when his father walked out of the family home. His mother went to England to work as a nurse, leaving him to be raised by his grandparents, and from the ages of six to 11 he was educated in a Catholic boys' school, run by strict disciplinarians, the Christian Brothers. Life improved when, as a teenager, he was accepted by a London drama school, and after moving to Hollywood in the 1970s he got his big break in the TV series Remmington Steele, which got him noticed by the Bond producers. Since then the star has never looked back, but despite those difficult early years Pierce remains a true Irishman at heart.
"Deep down, I've always felt like a character actor, that's what I trained as, so I always looked at the other guys doing these really daring, different roles and thought 'when is it going to come my way?'"
"I keep dreaming about going back there, but never get around to doing anything about it," he says with a warm smile. "Being Irish is the essence of who I am. With Irish Dream Time I'm able to seek out Irish projects, I've done that with Evelyn and we filmed in Ireland for Laws of Attraction - any excuse to go back!"
Don't expect the star to retire quietly to the Emerald Isle though, Bond might be behind him, but he still wants to be in the thick of the action. His latest movie, The Matador is proof of that.
Filmed in Mexico City - kidnap capital of the world - the star was earmarked as a major ransom target. "We had great security with us all the time and travelled in armoured vehicles," he says, "But I was worried for my family and they were worried for me. I do remember a week before we left there was a big article in the LA Times which talked about all the kidnapping. I tried to hide it from my wife, under the sofa. But she found it," he smiles.
"There was a real concern for one's welfare. I had to change cars three times because we had these unexplained blow-outs. What happens is they puncture the tyres right near the valve and of course you have to pull over and that's when these kidnappers can pounce, but apart from that we were ok," he adds with a nonchalant shrug.
Pierce's character in the film, Julian Noble is a lonely, washed-up, hit-man suffering from panic attacks, and of course, couldn't be more different from polished Bond. But, not surprisingly Pierce is clearly relishing the opportunity to show audiences there's more to him than pristine suits, Martinis and wisecracks.
"I suppose Julian is the anti-Bond," he smiles. "It's a wonderful, perverse, theatrical piece. Deep down, I've always felt like a character actor, that's what I trained as, so I always looked at the other guys doing these really daring, different roles and thought 'when is it going to come my way?'"
It looks as if that time has come. Next up he'll be seen in a Western with Liam Neeson and he admits he'd love to do family films, so his own youngsters can watch him in something on the big screen. "It's an exciting time, for my production company, for myself you just have to get out there, keep working and keep pushing," he smiles. And as he strides out of the door turning every head in the hotel lobby, you get the feeling that the best might just be yet to come from the charming and very debonair Pierce Brosnan.
The Matador is released in cinemas nationwide on January 20.
I just wish the paper was a little thicker because it got a little wrinkled and nicked up, especially the B&W photo which I have to tinker with so haven't uploaded it. But the article and rest of the photos is now up online for anyone that can't get it (click photos fro larger versions - bandwidth providing)
