Pierce Brosnan doesn't think Pierce Brosnan was a good James Bond
HAROLD CUNNINGHAM/Getty Images
When Daniel Craig debuted as James Bond in 2006's Casino Royale, critics and fans praised the the return of a grittier, more grounded 007. It was a far cry from the previous film, Die Another Day, which counted an ice palace, an invisible car, and a gratuitous Madonna cameo among its many excesses.
But if you prefer Daniel Craig's human-sized take on 007 to Pierce Brosnan's bombastic cartoon version, you're in good company: Pierce Brosnan couldn't agree more.
"I felt I was caught in a time warp between Roger [Moore] and Sean [Connery]," said Brosnan, who starred in four consecutive James Bond movies from 1995 to 2002, in an interview with The Telegraph. "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."
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Brosnan also admitted that despite the pleas of his wife and children, he refuses to watch his 007 movies with them. "I have no desire to watch myself as James Bond. 'Cause it's just never good enough. It's a horrible feeling." Lighten up, Pierce — GoldenEye wasn't that bad.
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Scott Meslow is the entertainment editor for TheWeek.com. He has written about film and television at publications including The Atlantic, POLITICO Magazine, and Vulture.
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