James Bond and MobLand star Pierce Brosnan shared what “keeps him alive” as he reflected on his acting career and whether he plans to continue
Pierce Brosnan turned 72 last year(Image: Getty)
Pierce Brosnan has opened up about his views on retirement, following his latest role in the biographical sports drama Giant. The film tells the story of boxer Prince Naseem Hamed, portrayed by Amir El Masry, with Pierce taking on the role of Brendan Ingle, the fighter’s former trainer.
The narrative follows Hamed’s journey from a working-class boy in Sheffield to becoming a world featherweight champion, guided by Brendan’s coaching both inside and outside the ring.
Knowing all too well about having a modest upbringing, Pierce relocated to London with his mother aged 11 to start a new life and pursue drama school.
Decades later, he’s built an impressive body of work spanning films and television series, including James Bond, Mrs. Doubtfire, Remington Steele, Mamma Mia! and MobLand.
Reflecting on Naseem’s career concluding at 28, Pierce explained why he’s determined to continue working at 72. “It’s the creative life that keeps me alive,” the Irish-born star revealed.
“I’m 72, time is moving on for me and I can feel the tick of it. I’ve been down this path a long time now, but what else do I do but really live the life and the time that I have left?”.
During the same interview with The Independent, the actor also praised his family, especially his wife Keely Shaye Brosnan, for their unwavering support throughout his career.
Discussing the source of his confidence, in what he described as the “capricious” world of acting, he explained: “Family, for sure. I have a great wife, who’s given me wings to fly.
“I’m a catholic, and my faith is very strong and you have to be as tough as old boots to be in the game this long.”
Pierce also spoke about the prospect of retirement while promoting Netflix’s The Thursday Murder Club last year.
The film, adapted from Richard Osman’s bestselling book series, follows a group of friends living in a retirement home who enjoy solving murders as a hobby, only to become embroiled in a case themselves.
Speaking about his role to USA Today, Pierce said he feels “very fortunate” to still be working as an actor and confessed he wouldn’t have a clue what to do if he hung up his boots.
“The doing of being an actor and the constant doing of it is invigorating,” he explained.
When he’s not on set, the star treasures quality time with his family.
Wed to Keely since 2001, the pair share two sons, Paris and Dylan. From his first marriage to Cassandra Harris, he legally adopted her three children Charlotte, Sean and Christopher.
Heartbreakingly, Charlotte lost her life in 2013 at just 41 following a battle with ovarian cancer, the same disease that claimed Cassandra’s life in 1991.
Speaking previously to Esquire in 2017 about his approach to parenting and being brought up by a single mother, he reflected: “I know what it’s like to bring up sons.
“It can be a very arduous road. My fatherly instincts are purely my own. They relate back to no one, because there was no one.”
