Why Pierce Brosnan Feels He Was 'Never Good Enough' As James Bond

Much like his successor, Daniel Craig, Pierce Brosnan's run as James Bond was a slow descent into parody. Perhaps it had something to do with Martin Campbell directing both actors' debut as 007, with the British filmmaker overseeing 1995's "GoldenEye" and 2006's "Casino Royale." Whatever the case, by the time Brosnan hung up the tux, he had starred in what is almost universally viewed as the worst Bond movie ever made: "Die Another Day." It's the worst 007 film according to IMDb and it similarly claimed the bottom spot in /Film's own ranking of Bond movies.

"Die Another Day" is actually a good time if you indulge the complete absurdity of its ice palaces, invisible cars, and central protagonists who surgically transform from Korean army generals to insufferable British aristocrats. Still, however you look at it, Brosnan hardly went out on a high, and ever since, his tenure as 007 has occupied an odd space in the history of the franchise.

Some fans absolutely adore Brosnan's Bond, while others maintain that he was merely going through the motions. As such, Brosnan never really had an identifiable "thing." Sean Connery originated the role of Bond for the masses, Roger Moore was the lighthearted version, and even Brosnan's predecessor, Timothy Dalton, became known for debuting a more rugged Bond decades before Craig did the same. But Brosnan doesn't really have a definable characteristic. He certainly looked the part, and was as suave as you'd hope Bond to be in "GoldenEye." But not only did his films get progressively sillier as they went on, the actor himself isn't necessarily remembered for a particular trait or defining Bond characteristic. Not that such a thing is a requirement, it's just that this perhaps might have something to do with Brosnan's own misgivings about his time as 007.

The Irish actor evidently feels that he was never really good enough in the role, to the extent that he wasn't able to rewatch the films for a quarter century.

In 2020, Pierce Brosnan rewatched "GoldenEye" (which almost starred Timothy Dalton) for an online watch-along. As the actor admitted during the event, this was the very first time he'd seen the movie since he made it. That's a full 25 years between the film's debut and the first time Brosnan had seen it, which might not seem all that surprising, as it's not uncommon for actors to eschew watching their own performances. But it seems there was more to Brosnan's decision to stay away from "GoldenEye" for 25 years than a general preference for not rewatching his own stuff.

Speaking to the Telegraph in 2014, the actor said that he'd never revisited any of his Bond movies because he felt that it was "never good enough." In the interview, he reveals that his three sons often asked him to watch the films with them, but he always refused. "I felt I was caught in a time warp between Roger and Sean," he said, adding:

"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."

Asked if he might ever rewatch the films at the time, Brosnan said, "I have no desire to watch myself as James Bond. Because it's just never good enough. It's a horrible feeling." Considering the prestige of the 007 saga, it's understandable Brosnan would feel self-conscious about doing the role justice. But there's likely more to it than that.

During his "GoldenEye" watch-along, Pierce Brosnan spoke about seeing "Goldfinger" in 1964 and growing up with Sean Connery's Bond, which surely added to the pressure he felt when taking on the role in 1995. By the end of the rewatch, he was positive but terse. "I don't know what to say," he said, "except that it was good while it lasted and there's new adventures to be had." That's not a bad way to sum up his first rewatch of the film, considering he'd been so adamant about avoiding it for a quarter century.

Interestingly enough, this "new adventures to be had" attitude seems to be another aspect to his refusal to rewatch the films, too. In a 2022 interview with the AV Club, he was asked about whether he'd revisited his Bond films and said, "I don't particularly enjoy looking at the work. It's done. It's over. It's on to the next one."

Otherwise, there might well have been some lingering resentment about the way his films went after "GoldenEye." Back in 2005, three years after his final outing as 007 in "Die Another Day," Brosnan spoke to CBS News about how the character "never felt real" for him, and how he never felt he had "complete ownership over Bond." Of particular issue were the "stupid one-liners" and the fact he felt "shackled by some contracted image." In other words, it seems Brosnan was truly happy to leave Bond behind in 2002, which could have only added to his desire not to rewatch his performances.

In many ways, then, much like Connery himself, the role of Bond was a double-edged sword for Brosnan, and there was much more to his refusal to revisit the films than simply disliking watching himself on screen. Thankfully, we can rewatch them as many times as we like, even if it's just to have a good time with the silliness of "Die Another Day."