Pierce Brosnan speaks out on James Bond ‘sexism’ after Helen Mirren ripped apart character
Former James Bond star Pierce Brosnan has spoken out after Dame Helen Mirren’s slammed the 007 franchise as “drenched and born out of profound sexism”.
The 71-year-old Irish actor starred in the iconic role for five films between 1995 and 2002.
Brosnan sported a tuxedo as Bond in Goldeneye, which many credit with rejuvenating the iconic series after a long hiatus.
Mirren, who stars alongside Brosnan in the new crime series MobLand, revealed she “never liked James Bond” because of how women were portrayed in the films.
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“The whole concept of James Bond is drenched and born out of profound sexism,” the 79-year-old actress told The Standard.
“Women have always been a major and incredibly important part of the Secret Service, they always have been. And very brave,” Mirren said.
She also opposed recasting Bond as a woman, instead advocating for films about real female spies.
Responding to the comments, Brosnan mused: “She let them have it”.
He admitted: “Yes, there’s a certain agreement there.”
“But there’s a certain world and room to move within the proscenium arch of what Ian Fleming put down,” he tempered.
Brosnan’s remarks suggest a shift from his previous stance. In 2015, he disagreed with Daniel Craig’s characterisation of Bond as “sexist and misogynist”.
“I never thought of him like that,” Brosnan said at the time. “I saw him as a solitary, enigmatic character.”
He had also previously dismissed a line in GoldenEye where Judi Dench’s M calls Bond a “sexist, misogynist dinosaur” as merely “a witty line” for the reintroduction of the character.
The actor described Bond as someone who “carries a certain amount of pain and angst”.
Brosnan and Mirren currently co-star in the new Paramount+ crime series MobLand, created by Ronan Bennett, which premiered on 30 March.
Brosnan confirmed they “didn’t talk about” the Bond franchise during production of MobLand.
Recently, the 71-year-old reflected warmly on his time as Bond.
“He’s with me for life. It was great. A magical time in my life,” Brosnan began.
The actor said the role “opened a lot of doors” for him and allowed him more creative freedom in taking roles.
However, the actor warned the role came with some personal risks,
“You live with the injuries… Playing that role you will get hurt, there’s no question about it. You have to have stamina,” he explained while appearing on The Jonathan Ross Show.
Even with the risks, the Irishman did not rule out a potential return to the franchise as an older Bond figure.
“No-one’s spoken to me about it. I’ve heard all of the rumours. Listen, they know where to find me. Let’s see where the wind takes us,” he teased.
However, regarding who will replace Daniel Craig as the iconic spy – Brosnan conceded that would be “another man’s job”.
“I’m not looking to go there. I’m quite happy with my career. I’ve done it, it was wonderful. Delightful kind of notion to contemplate,” he glowed.
Even still, the former Bond could not resist opining on Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s suitability for the role, who remains among the bookies favourites to swoop the role.
“I think he would make a very fine Bond,” he revealed