August spy

August spy

It has been nearly 20 years since Pierce Brosnan was cast to play the iconic James Bond, a decade since he lost the gig.

And now, he's returning to the spy world with The November Man.

At 61, the Irish actor still looks just as distinguished - and as charming - as ever.

Brosnan plays Peter Devereaux, a former CIA agent who is reluctantly lured back into the game for one final mission.

He talks to M on why he's back to spying.

You've been busy recently.

When it rains, it pours. But it pours good. Two years, seven movies; a bit of this, a bit of that.

A romantic romp here, a dark comedy there and in this case, back to the same old shenanigans of the spy world.

It's been over a decade since you were Bond. Would you have been willing to make this film any earlier?

I said to my wife the other morning, "Boy, I should have picked up the gun sooner."

She said: "I told you to, but you wanted to do foreign films or character pieces."

I think the timing is right and everything happens for a reason.

With my company Irish Dreamtime, we've made 10 movies in the space of 12 years with some lovely jewels like The Matador and The Thomas Crown Affair.

Then the curtain fell on my days as Bond. Just when you look the other way, whoosh, you're no longer on stage, but business is business.

We found the November Man books and wanted to do something gritty.

(Peter is) a cool, gritty operative, cultured badass dude.

In (author) Bill Granger's writing, I found a character that I could get my teeth into.

What is it about spy movies that capture your attention?

I'm a fan of the genre because I grew up with it. I saw Sean Connery in Dr No when I was 11 and was just bedazzled and beguiled.

The mystique of the individual, of who they are, secret societies and the secrets of others.

You'll be forever linked with James Bond. Are you okay with it?

Oh, absolutely. It's all such a game.

If you got tripped up over that, you wouldn't last in the game at all. It's all about entertaining people and Bond is the gift that keeps on giving.

I have nothing but gratitude for my days as Bond. Without him there wouldn't be a November Man and there wouldn't be this tapestry of work.

Who is the better character, Bond or November Man?

You have two different men, both cut from the same cloth. Bond has more gadgets and women. Devereaux is rougher and more complex.

He has this reality to his day and how he acquits himself in the world of espionage. He's been maligned by his superiors and disillusioned by his government. It's more tangible.

What do you now look for in new roles?

Days off [laughs]. I'm always looking for story, story, story.

It starts and ends with story, heart, believability, emotions - something you can sink your teeth into, dream on every night and wake up every morning ready to charge into the day and put the pieces together as a movie.

That can come in any shape and size.

Soon, my son Sean is going to direct me in a movie. We have a piece we both like that's small, violent and set in Belfast.

tnp@sph.com.sg


This article was first published on Aug 27, 2014.
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