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Pierce Brosnan: Breaking the Bond
By : Alice Sarfati
Internationally renowned for his portrayal of the suave and sophisticated secret agent, James Bond, Pierce Brosnan has so reinvigorated the series that his four Bond films alone account for worldwide box office earnings of over $1 billion.
With that much success, it’s surprising to find out that 2005’s Bond 21 might mark the 50-year-old’s last stand in the perfectly polished shoes of Agent 007—shoes that seem to have been almost custom-made for him.
“The Bond role has given me great fortune and allowed me to create my own production company, Irish DreamTime,” Brosnan says. “Bond will have its day in the sun, and I will move away from it, move beyond it.”
Now, Brosnan is deliberately shaking, not stirring, the indelible impression the Bond character has left on his own persona with his latest film, Laws of Attraction. In this romantic comedy, Brosnan breaks away from Bond-like characteristics to play the carefree and unruly role of Daniel Rafferty, a highly successful lawyer who always wins in court. Upon facing off against lawyer Audrey Woods, played by Julianne Moore, Daniel encounters a new passion to win her heart. What set the role apart for Brosnan, a self-proclaimed romantic, was “that it was a love story set against two people who every day go to battle for some husband or some wife who wants to tear the other one’s heart out and yet, within that, these two people are falling in love.”
Laws of Attraction was produced by Irish DreamTime, as are several of Brosnan’s other films—Evelyn, The Nephew, The Thomas Crown Affair, as well as the soon-to-be-released films The Matador and Mexicali. As the producer of these projects, he has been able to choose roles that sail into unexplored waters—waters left uncharted during his missions as Agent 007. What he hopes to find are audiences eager to join him aboard his journey into depths beyond the role of Bond.
In your new film, Laws of Attraction, you take quite a departure from the sleek and debonair character of James Bond to play the casual and frequently disheveled Daniel Rafferty. In what ways would you say you relate to Daniel?
Daniel has a fascination with what makes people tick and how they can be so passionate about each other, and then—five years down, or 20 years down—it all falls apart. I have a fascination with humanity—it’s my job. Being an actor, you should have a pocketful of psychology on human beings and a fascination with relationships.
You decided to not only star in this film, but to produce it as well. What sparked so much interest in the project?
I was looking for a romantic comedy, and I wanted to find one that had some intelligence: one that found people of a certain age and character with circumstances in their lives that had some meaning to me. Romance on film is something that I find intoxicating, and it’s not easy to do; so this was a real challenge for me.
The film was shot partly in your birthplace of Ireland. Though you spent your early childhood there, you also grew up in England. Where do you consider home?
I left Ireland in ’64 when I was 11 years of age, and then I continued my education in England. Ireland is most definitely a home for me, but I have many homes. I have a home in Ireland—where I have a meaningful life—and also in London and America too. So, I’m a gypsy and happy with the good fortune in my life that allows me to travel with my career.
Before acting became your way of making a living, were there other jobs you had to do to help pay the bills?
I was training to be a commercial artist, but then I discovered acting and, in doing so, left my job and joined a company. But, there was no money involved, so I would work in the mornings in restaurants or cleaning houses. I was also a taxi driver for the best part of a week. I wanted to be an actor, and if you want something so badly and with such a passion, then you have to chop wood and carry water. You have to find a job that fits into that part of your life. That’s what you have to do, and that’s what I did.
As a dedicated family man, how do you balance the requirements for maintaining a successful career with those of a successful marriage?
Oh, it’s a constant challenge. You have moments of separation that are very painful. I have the most wonderful partner in my wife, Keely, who is equally as passionate about living an artistic life, living a life of creativity, living a life of family and creating family. We have equal interests. She’s an actress, a journalist, an environmentalist, the most wonderful writer and the most wonderful mother. She’s a unique human being, and we happen to love each other, and so that will get you through the hard times.
You’ve been very involved in charity work for cancer research and environmental education. How did these specific causes become such personal battles for you?
I lost a good friend and a wife to ovarian cancer. The great fear that disease creates in your life, the great sadness and the great weakness is forever with you. It’s a disease that touches everybody. I began to speak out after I lost my late wife, and it was healing work in many respects. I met some of the finest people I’ve ever met in my life. That work was the beginning of doing “charity work” or being part of a cause.
Besides charity work, what else do you enjoy doing in your free time?
I love horses—I love the racing game and horse riding. I also love the ocean. I live by the ocean in Malibu and in Hawaii. So, I ride and I go surfing and sailing. And, I also enjoy painting.
So how does it feel to be a sex symbol and a grandfather at the same time?
Well, I think those two emblems of life sit well on the page, and I think if I can get away with it, why not? I’m very lucky to have come this far in a profession that I love with all my heart. To make movies and to be a grandfather and a sex symbol in the same sentence is a joy!
Have you ever gone to a bar and ordered a “martini, shaken not stirred” just for kicks?
I have. Actually, I just say, “Give me one of those drinks that’s in the movies, would you please? Whatever that guy drinks. You know that guy? What’s that guy that does that movie? What does he drink? That vodka martini thing?”
Your portrayal of “that guy”—legendary Agent James Bond—has garnered you worldwide success. How would you say playing that role has affected your life, and what lies in store for your future as Bond?
It’s been bountiful. The last nine years since I became him have gone with the speed of a flame. The persona I have now with James Bond is huge on the radar for me. Suddenly, I’ve created an identity for myself, which is somewhat based in truth, but mostly made up of illusion and misrepresentation. I play lots of different characters beyond Bond. The world is used to me playing him. So when you play him, it comes with lots of territory. The question is, how do you go away from that and find other material and make other career choices for yourself? There are a lot of other projects that I want to do. The art of acting is a constant challenge to be better than you were—to create something that is just the best, greatest and most memorable.
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