Pierce Brosnan and Rosamund Pike were smashing swashbucklers

18-Dec-2002 • Die Another Day

Bob Anderson specialises in sword fighting, and has been the guru behind the swashbuckling scenes in films such as "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Mask of Zorro".

His latest work came on the set of "Die Another Day", to train up Pierce Brosnan, Toby Stephens, Rosamund Pike and Halle Berry on their sword skills.

"Pierce is in every shot in this picture, but he has done fewer rehearsals than any actor I`ve worked with. However, the outcome is that he`s the most natural actor I`ve seen on film with a sword, and he picks it up like that [clicks his fingers]. He`s got a fantastic memory and great timing."

"In one scene they are starting with the epee, because they`re uncomplicated swords. You don`t need elaborate clothing and you can strip off down to a T-shirt. Then we go onto the heavy weapons, military sabres, and now Pierce and Toby are crashing into the big case with the swords and the armour, and when they smash it the swords come out, and they grab a broadsword."

"Rosamund Pike is marvellous. She is the most studied actress I`ve met. When she gets her teeth into doing something, she never stops. She came for lessons almost every day when she wasn`t working and she now is the most competent swordsman. Nobody can tell the difference between her and the experts when she`s fencing."

Anderson`s aim is to make the scenes look realistic but keep the actors in the action as much as possble. "Die Another Day" marks an acheivement as he said the sequences were "more real than almost anything I`ve seen before. Most swordfights on film look artificial... all except mine, of course!"

Thanks to Umpire for the intel.