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| Pierce Brosnan in Paris |
Well, for the time being, we do look alike. Plus, maybe the sense of humor, the appreciation of bon mot. I suppose that's our most common denominator.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
As little as possible. I paint when I can, walk in the Malibu hills, spend time with my kids. I love that phrase quality time. People assume it enriches the kids' lives, but it enriches mine even more.
Could you discuss your experience working with Barbra Streisand on The Mirror Has Two Faces?
She is funny and fun--both very sexy qualities in a woman--and she has a very special beauty both without and within. It was exciting to see her creative focus, that tidal wave of creative energy and imagination. She knows what she wants, and she communicates it, which is why she gets such fine performances from her casts, film after film.
Who has influenced your acting, and who influenced your decision to pursue it as a career?
Steven Rea to both questions. We worked together early in our careers, and he seemed to me to be the personification of actorly skill and dedication.
The world has had an impression of Bond for some 30 years. How did you get around that preconceived notion? Did you find it challenging acting in a part that invites comparisons?
I'm so happy to be past the time of waiting to find out if audiences will accept me in the role. Of course, I was more than aware of the special stamp both Sean Connery and Roger Moore placed on the part. I wanted to honor the tradition they had created--but also bring something of my own individuality to it.
Have you ever read any of the original Ian Fleming books? How do you think they measure up to the films?
I'd read Fleming's books before Mr. Bond came into my life, and I've read them since. They hold up as a good read, and the films are quite true to them, even while enlarging upon them. The Bond books are very cinematic. Fleming not only had a firm grip on his generation of readers--JFK helped launch their popularity by discussing how they captured his imagination--but they have been embraced by each succeeding generation. My personal favorite? Casino Royale. I recommend it to anyone wishing to discover Fleming for the first time.
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