Pierce Brosnan talks about his Catholic upbringing

15-Dec-2002 • Bond News

Perhaps unconnected to the recent slamming of "Die Another Day" by Catholic Bishops (MI6 Live News - 03/12/02), Pierce Brosnan talked to Reel about his Catholic upbringing and his childhood experiences:

Q: [In your latest film - Evelyn] how did you decide how far to go in terms of showing the abuse of the children at the orphanages?

PB: I wanted to push it a bit further than you actually see, but I think that`s only because I have a bone to pick with the Church in my old childhood.

Q: What were your own experiences like attending Catholic school?

PB: I had nuns who would beat the snot out of you. And then you`ve got the Christian brothers. You`d stand there saying the "Our Father," and some little boy would come in late, and just because he was late, you would just, you could see the veins pop out of [the brother`s] skull and you`d see the kid`s head crack against the door. You`d see him being kicked. You`d see a little boy up at the blackboard trying to get the sums right and he couldn`t, and he would be intimidated. And he would be whacked, "Get the sum right!" - Whack! "Get the sum right!" Whack! Until the s**t ran down his legs. So, as far as I - I wanted it - Luckily, I had Bruce Beresford, a man of restraint. And it wasn`t necessary.

You know, yes, the Church, they were at fault in many cases, but there`s also, there`s the great side of the Church, which is supportive of humankind. And I think the film has a good balance between the two.