Pierce Brosnan on working with Polanski

Pierce Brosnan is one of those actors who needs no introduction, having played James Bond in four films, and thus having one of the more recognizable faces (and voices) on screen, where he has been spending a lot of time lately.

Besides devoting his usually suave, sophisticated self to “Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief” (as the half-man, half-horse centaur), Brosnan plays the Tony Blairinspired Adam Lang in Roman Polanski’s new thriller “The Ghost Writer,” opening Friday in area theaters.

In “Remember Me,” Brosnan, 56, plays a New York mogul and father to Robert Pattinson’s conflicted hero. And he’ll soon be a grieving dad in “The Greatest,” which he helped produce.

Brosnan talks with Buffalo News.

What’s it mean that an Irishman and a Scotsman— yourself and Ewan McGregor — are in a movie that does such a job on an English prime minister?

Oh, that’s the Polanski sense of humor, an Irishman playing the ex-prime minister. That didn’t get beyond me. But I’m not sure why he wanted me, and I didn’t ask. I thought, let sleeping dogs lie. Let’s just have fun. Let’s just play. He likes actors from the British Isles.

What made working with Polanski better, or different, than with other directors?

Well, for one thing we shot my last scene in the movie first. We rehearsed in Roman’s trailer and he said, “OK, let’s shoot.” And we did anything but shoot. He fussed with the props, he fussed with the computers, he fussed with the guns, he fussed with my security men and then, right before lunch, he said, “OK, Pierce, after lunch, 27 lens . . .” and that’s a big lens, right in your face. And then we shot the scene.

And why did you want to work with him?

The man comes out of such a turbulent past and such a history of cinema and tragedy. I’d never met him, but the day I went to have lunch with him in Paris, I already knew him — what he sounded like, what he looked like, his life. It was a great invitation, a wonderful time, a magnificent director. He’s a unique character and wonderful filmmaker, and this character that I play was a great way to step out and play a political thriller.

“Remember Me” is a different sort of thing.

I think it’s very good, beautifully shot and with the young Rob Pattinson working very hard, giving of himself. He has his head on his shoulders, so, really, hats off to him. I want the best for the lad, ’cause I’m really fond of him. He’s a lovely lad. Has a huge following, and hopefully he’ll stick to his guns and not get overwhelmed.

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