Pierce Brosnan admits he turned down Tim Burton’s offer to play Batman

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Here are some assorted photos of Pierce Brosnan from the past few months. The most recent photos are from last week’s premiere of No Escape, where Pierce brought his sons Sean, Dylan and Paris out as his “dates.” I’m also including photos of Pierce with his wife Keely from June. Did you know that they’ve been together 21 years? Crazy. Pierce has a new interview with Details and I found it completely charming. He chats about how Idris Elba should be the next James Bond, how he (Pierce) is an old fart, and how he lost a bunch of stuff in the California fires. Some highlights:

How he feels about guns in real life: “I have never owned a weapon, but somebody gave me one recently. He said I should have one. But it feels ugly. I really don’t like to have it in the house. It’s just a regular handgun, but it’s powerful. It’ll split you in two. I’ve put it aside and shall give it back.”

What he lost in the Malibu fire: “I had just done a week of meditation classes, so I was in this Zen zone of reflection when the sh-t hit the proverbial fan. There were paintings, first-edition books—James Joyce’s Ulysses—the Aston Martin. I looked into the garage, and the car cover was engulfed in flames. In that nanosecond, you think, Do I try to save it? But it’s a car. You take the blow and move on, give thanks you’re alive.

His work-life balance: “There was a time after I lost my [first] wife, Cassie, [to ovarian cancer] when it was extremely difficult. Everything was rattling in the realm of grief, and I was trying to find myself again and had to go to work and take my son on the road with me. It’s not good terrain for any young person. But I had the good fortune of meeting a great woman in Keely. We’ve been together 21 years. We’ve created a new life and family.”

He turned down the lead in Tim Burton’s ‘Batman’: “It was the beginning of these huge movies, and I just thought, Batman? Batman held such an indelible place in my own childhood, but I said something flippant to Tim Burton like, “Any guy who wears his underpants outside his trousers cannot be taken seriously.” So, yeah.”

He loves that Ireland legalized gay marriage: “I never thought in a million years, but hallelujah! Enough of the shaming. It’s a great indication of the forward-thinking of a nation that’s been so mangled by religion.

Whether there could ever be a gay James Bond: “Sure. Why not? [Pauses thoughtfully] Actually, I don’t know how it would work. I don’t think Barbara [Broccoli, the James Bond producer] would allow a gay Bond to happen in her lifetime. But it would certainly make for interesting viewing. Let’s start with a great black actor being James Bond. Idris Elba certainly has the physicality, the charisma, the presence. But I think Daniel [Craig] will be there for a while yet.

On being pap’d shirtless in Hawaii at the age of 62: “With my Irish gut? We ran away to that wee island 15 years ago, and it was so delightful. The intrusion now is shocking, but what are you going to do? The lads in the hood know they can make a buck or two if they take a picture of Brosnan with his belly hanging out, looking like an old fart staggering out of the ocean.

He won’t get plastic surgery: “Good heavens, no. It’s a disgusting thing in our society, what we do to ourselves. We should just enjoy as best we can and make peace. If something crashed in around the old face, then I suppose I’d do something— I have a healthy dose of vanity—but this is it. Long may it last.”

[From Details]

I have a feeling/hope that Pierce really is this lovely man in real life. Don’t you want to believe that too? He just seems like he adores his wife, he loves being a father, he’s comfortable in his own skin and he’s not out to piss people off or create a lot of controversy. It’s refreshing. And when even Pierce Brosnan is saying that Idris should be Bond, then IDRIS SHOULD BE BOND.

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Photos courtesy of WENN.

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36 Responses to “Pierce Brosnan admits he turned down Tim Burton’s offer to play Batman”

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  1. MrsB says:

    I have loved him since Remington Steele and yes, I really do think he is as lovely in real life as he sounds in interviews.

    • TQB says:

      He has suffered so much pain and tragedy, but makes it his mission to value and treasure all the good things. He becomes more irresistible every time he opens his mouth.

    • Alice says:

      I’ll borrow your post and put it on repeat. It’s exactly the same for me. I did see him in Manions of America prior to RS and thought “Who is THAT? He’s stunning.”

    • Absolutely says:

      Uh. This man has always been my number 1. Probably since I was 5 or 6. Not only is he gorgeous, but he seems humble and grateful and kind. Could you ask for a more complete man? I think not..

    • sirsnarksalot says:

      Same! Loved him since Remington Steel and in everything else since. He’s my #1 Bond.

    • raincoaster says:

      Remington Steele was the bomb. Alas, they didn’t look at it as an audition for Bond, when they should have.

  2. aims says:

    I also hope he’s a good guy in his private life. Everything that I’ve read seems to back that up. The way he loved his first wife was inspirational. He was so devoted to her and he seems to love his children unconditionally. He just seems so lovely.

    • FingerBinger says:

      He was also devoted to his step daughter. She also died from cancer.

      • aims says:

        He was.I remembered his statement about her passing and he was so loving when he talked about her. It breaks my heart.

    • H says:

      It was rumored Charlotte and Pierce were estranged prior to her passing. Could be just a rumor, who knows.

      • paranormalgirl says:

        Considering he walked her down the aisle at her wedding 2 weeks before her death, I don’t know how true that rumor is.

      • aims says:

        He also stopped filming whatever he was doing when he heard that she was close to death and flew to be by her bedside. He adored his daughter and still has a difficult time talking about her death.

      • H says:

        I know the DM is not the best source, but didn’t they print an article Charlotte was broke and Pierce (actually because of his current wife) refused to give her family money? This was before Charlotte’s wedding and death.

  3. Pri says:

    Honestly, I think the overhype has caused any chances Idris had to be Bond to evaporate. Idris said so himself.

    I’d be happy for any actor of colour really (black, brown, Asian) to get a Bond role.

  4. anne_000 says:

    He doesn’t need plastic surgery anyways. He’s got fantastic bone structure.

    I like that he hasn’t dumped his wife and gone for a newer, younger chick. I like that he stays in long marriages.

    It’s a good thing he turned down Batman. That was a good career choice. He would never have gotten his years-long wish to be Bond.

    Back in the day, I read that the Remington Steele execs wouldn’t let him out of his contract or work his schedule around so that he could play Bond, so the 007 job was given to Timothy Dalton instead. I don’t know if it’s true, but that was the story that went around.

    I don’t understand why people would spend millions to live in the Malibu fire area. It seems like there’s widespread fires there every year.

    • Freddy Spaghetti says:

      It is true that the Remington Steele producers wouldn’t let him take time off to play Bond, and that’s how Dalton got the roll. One of my fave moments in Goldeneye is how thrilled Pierce looks when he says “Bond. James Bond” for the first time.

      • hmmm says:

        That’s how I remember it as well. Also, in later years, Pierce said that losing the Bond movie the first time was a blessing because, in retrospect, he felt he was too young at the time to handle it well. The second time around, when he was more mature and better seasoned, was just right.

        Oh, what a lovely and loving man!

  5. Embee says:

    To quote Nicki Minaj “That’s the kinda dude I been lookin fo.”

    His eldest (I assume, the tallest) is freakishly handsome as well.

    • FingerBinger says:

      The Tom Hardy lookalike is the eldest.

    • supposedtobeworking says:

      The tallest one is his and Keely’s middle child. The son on the left was his first wife Cassandra’s, whom he adopted (along with their daughter Charlotte). He and Keely had 3 (sons I think) together.

  6. hadlyB says:

    I love the part when he says “wee island” . lol His wife is still gorgeous. They look very happy still so I hope they are, but you never know in real life.

  7. Korra says:

    This man is just lovely. I watched an interview with him and Rene Russo during the Thomas crown affair and she talked about how he fought hard to have her in the movie because some were having an issue with her age.

    • TQB says:

      GOOD GOD, that movie. The two of them are SO hot. Good for him – Rene owned that role.

      • lucy2 says:

        And it would not have worked with some 20 something actress. They felt like equals in the film, as it should be.

  8. H says:

    I loved Pierce as Remington Steele, huge fan here, or was. Then about five years ago, a long-time friend worked with him on a cancer charity and said he was a nightmare diva. Yelling, screaming, and berating people and made HUGE demands. My love for him went away. Friend said he was especially nasty to his daughter (who later passed), as they both were involved in the charity in tribute of Cassandra, his first wife and Charlotte’s mother.

  9. meme says:

    Michael Keaton is the original and bestest Batman.

  10. Amy Tennant says:

    Holy…. that tall son in the middle! Oh my goodness it must be difficult to be so really, really,ridiculously good-looking!

  11. lucy2 says:

    I love the attitude he seems to have these days, be thankful for what you have and don’t sweat the small stuff.
    I think he might have been good as Batman, but clearly he made the right call for his career and his dream to be Bond. And yes, Idris!!!! Everyone says it, can’t they just cave in and say yes, he’s the next Bond?

  12. manta says:

    He sounds lovely, but since Kate Winslet, Jodie Foster caught flack for working for Polanski, a year after him, I don’t see why he (or Ewan Mc Gregor) should emerge unscathed.

    The fact that he didn’t trade the wife for a younger version or is a good father doesn’t earn him a pass. That’s what I gather from comments on Winslet or Blanchett or Stewart or Eisenberg posts: anybody associated with Polanski or Allen is tainted.
    Or not,apparently.

  13. serena says:

    I think he’ll just be one of my forever crush, no matter how old he is. He’s charming and wonderful, that’s it.