Transcript of the indepth interview Pierce Brosnan gave at the National Film Theatre now online
27-Mar-2003 • Bond News
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Richard Jobson from The Guardian newspaper and members of the audience quizzed Brosnan on his latest film, and how he got to where he is today.
RJ: Give us a sense of what it was Martin Campbell brought to the film, seeing as it was breaking in a new Bond. He did a tremendous job on that film.
PB: Martin was warrior-like in his take on this piece, and there was just a huge amount at stake for him and for myself and everyone on the picture, for Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson [the Bond franchise owners], for the whole franchise. We were all aware of the journey of this film and this great, iconic character. And because I`d been offered the role before and denied it, there was a kind of steeliness in my own heart to really give it my all. And the day after I was offered the role, I knew that my life had changed. And Martin, he could really get his knickers in a twist sometimes. We`d be doing some readings and Martin would say to me, "You`d better be good. You better be good." And what do you say when a director comes at you like that. It gives you no room to manoeuvre. But there was a huge passion there on both our parts. And what he did was, he paid attention to the details. It`s a family business - Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman created something which had great magic to it.
RJ: It had gone off the rails somewhat.
PB: It had and that`s because attention hadn`t been paid and certainly the climate was different. And suddenly we were here with GoldenEye and around us, there were these Die Hards and Bruce Willis and Lethal Weapons. The climate had changed and the competition had grown more fierce. Yet this was the grandfather of all action movies, especially this character, Bond. The stakes were enormously high but attention was paid.
RJ: I was at the UK press screening and expectations were pretty low because of the baggage of cynicism. And especially for people who loved the Bond movies, you grow up but Roger Moore kind of didn`t grow up with you, and certain things that you loved just weren`t there anymore. But then the opening sequence kicked in and there was a general sense in the room that you had won even before the first piece of dialogue because you had definitely taken it back to the level of action and spectacle which had disappeared.
PB: It`s been a constant struggle to make it believable, and for myself, to believe in myself playing that role. And because for me Connery dominates the character and casts such a large shadow - he`s the one you want to get in the ring with and take the belt off, so to speak. And I remember doing the press conference and what a daunting experience that was. You`re in a hotel in London in front of the world press and being asked all the questions that you`ve never even asked yourself. And there were many non-believers who were thinking, "Okay, Brosnan, now what are you going to do? Can you pull this off?" So it`s been work in progress. But I think with the last one, I found a level of performance... and it comes with a certain gravitas of one`s own, and I found that I kind of stopped acting and just became the character. But on GoldenEye I just tried to keep it simple and I didn`t try to waver off into some strange path. Martin Campbell was a great man to keep control - day 109 was as intense as day one, and it had to be.
RJ: Bang up to date with Lee Tamahori - he tries to keep the action physically real so we get a sense that the pain that you went through in the North Korean prison was very painful and real; whereas with a lot of action films they`ve taken it so high that it`s caricature. That seems to be a new area, new avenue that`s being explored.
PB: For me, it`s really the character, what is the character of this man. I mean, if you go back to the Fleming books, the man is fallible and the man has fear. And it`s not abstract, it`s tangible. He lives in this isolated world and I thought it was a very brave choice and a good road for me to go down. And for me as the actor it was a great launching pad for the rest of the movie. So I think we`ve set a benchmark with the last picture but there are elements that we must continue exploring, like putting this man into cinematic situations where the camera just settles on him. I think I`m at the point with the character that I have enough confidence where that can be done. Because there`s always constant motion and the quips, which you have to have, but for me it`s the quiet moments in action films where you really get in under the skin of the character.
RJ: Which was always the thing that gave the franchise a darker heart, and was something that was explored a bit with Timothy Dalton, but didn`t really connect with the audience.
PB: I thought Timothy did an amazing job, he was very courageous. But you also need the humour there as well.
RJ: And Halle Berry, of course. Wow. The film was quite self-referential in that way, wasn`t it? Was that to do with the anniversary, there were so many moments in the film which harked back to the whole franchise?
PB: That was it - this was a movie paying homage to itself, in some respects. And I think for the Bond aficionados it`s a treat to pick out the lines that have been embedded in other films. Q`s workshop was a delightful treat for the fans. It is fantasy.
RJ: And Halle Berry emerging from the sea, of course.
PB: I remember the day well.
Q: You talked earlier about liking the quiet moments in Bond films. What are your favourite moments in Bond?
PB: I don`t really know how to answer that question. GoldenEye, there are some good moments there - there`s a moment on the beach, with Izabella Scorupco, which for me was somewhat the hook of this man, that he was betrayed. I think in the last one, the opening sequence, and the scenes with M, because of Dame Judi and the calibre of actress that she is.
Q: How do you feel about the increasing use of product placement in the Bond films?
PB: I feel quite good about it really, I have no problems with it. I have some wonderful suits in my closet, a lovely car, some refined watches. There`s always been product placement in Bond movies. Ian Fleming wrote about the South Sea Island cotton shirts, and the cigarettes and the booze - that`s always been there. Maybe sometimes we`ve been a bit heavy-handed about it but I don`t think it takes away from the enjoyment of it.
Click here for the full interview transcript.
Click here for the transcript from the audience questions.
Thanks to Rumpole for the alert.
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