Pierce Brosnan Once Revealed It Would Be a ‘Horrible Feeling’ Watching Himself as James Bond
Pierce Brosnan has usually looked back at his role as James Bond with fond memories. But that didn’t mean Brosnan had no complaints about the character early on. Because of some of those complaints, Brosnan didn’t want to see himself playing the character, describing it as a horrible feeling.
Pierce Brosnan felt like a phony James Bond
Brosnan expressed a bit of relief when he was officially axed from the James Bond franchise. This was mostly because he found freedom in his departure.
“I thought. … I can do anything I want to do now. I’m not beholden to them or anyone. I’m not shackled by some contracted image. So there was a sense of liberation,” Brosnan told Entertainment Weekly (via CBS News.)
But his reaction was also motivated by the fact that he felt fake playing the character of Bond. This was mostly due to how his James Bond was written throughout the franchise.
“It never felt real to me. I never felt I had complete ownership over Bond. Because you’d have these stupid one-liners — which I loathed — and I always felt phony doing them,” he continued.
Pierce Brosnan had a horrible feeling watching himself as James Bond
Playing the 007 agent was not without its gifts. Brosnan once shared in an interview with The Telegraph that the Bond role granted him many opportunities.
“It’s the gift that keeps on giving, that allowed me to create my own production company and make my own movies,” Brosnan explained.
However, he also felt he was a tamer version of James Bond than his predecessors. This led to him being confused about the type of Bond he was playing.
“I felt I was caught in a time warp between Roger and Sean,” he continued. “It was a very hard one to grasp the meaning of, for me. The violence was never real, the brute force of the man was never palpable. It was quite tame, and the characterization didn’t have a follow-through of reality, it was surface. But then that might have had to do with my own insecurities in playing him as well.”
Because of this, Brosnan never felt satisfied with his Bond performance, something that was difficult to watch.
“I have no desire to watch myself as James Bond. ‘Cause it’s just never good enough,” he added. “It’s a horrible feeling.”
Pierce Brosnan enjoyed Daniel Craig’s version of James Bond
Although Brosnan at one time might not have liked his own performance as Bond, he didn’t feel that way towards his successor. In an interview with Esquire, Brosnan had nothing but kind words to say about Craig’s Bond portrayal. The actor had even given Craig some advice on what he should do after his time as Bond was over.
“Enjoy your life,” Brosnan said. “You did a magnificent job, Daniel. You were truly a great Bond. Really, hats off to you, sir. I’ve enjoyed watching you very much. You really grabbed the bull by the horns and ran with it all the way, the world is your oyster and you can do anything you want. Stay well.”
