Born to be Bond

Pierce Brosnan has been bonded to the role of super screen spy 007 for a lot longer than the seven years he's played him.

"It's really kind of eerie how the whole Bond thing plays in my life," says Brosnan, whose Die Another Day, his fourth outing as the spy the world loves, opens Friday.

"I was born in 1953. That's the year James Bond made his literary debut in Ian Fleming's Casino Royale.

"The first movie I saw with my mother in 1964 was Goldfinger. It was a staggering experience for an 11-year-old boy.

"There was a naked lady all painted gold and a guy with a hat that decapitated people. Then there was this really cool guy who could have any girl he wanted and could knock the hell out of anyone who got in his way."

Brosnan says he walked out of that London theatre "wanting desperately to do what that Bond guy had done. I also wanted to be an actor."

Such serendipity played a major role in Brosnan's life in 1980.

Brosnan's wife, Cassandra Harris, was cast as Countess Lisl in the Roger Moore Bond flick For Your Eyes Only.

He visited Harris on location in Corfu where he met director John Glen and producer Cubby Broccoli.

He made such an impression on the filmmakers that they put him on the top of their list as a possible replacement for Moore, who was talking about retiring his licence to play Bond.

"In 1981, I'd done the TV mini-series The Manions Of America about the Irish potato famine," Brosnan says. "I knew the show could be my passport to America so we used the money Cassandra had made on For Your Eyes Only to get us over to Hollywood so I could do some auditioning."

There was only enough cash to float the young couple's dream for a few months and they'd already taken a second mortgage out on their London home, so it was crucial something happen quickly.

As Brosnan recalls, he rented a wreck -- a lime-green Pacer -- and set off to his first audition for a proposed TV series called Remington Steele.

"I had a major strike against me. The part was not written for a Brit but I gave my all, answering yes to every question -- including whether I could water ski, ride a horse and even bungee jump."

Brosnan snagged the role. He and Cassandra and their three children moved to L.A.

Remington Steele debuted in 1982 and became a modest hit, running for five seasons.

In 1986, it looked as if the planets were lining up for the handsome 33-year-old Irishman.

NBC had announced it was cancelling Remington Steele and Moore had officially resigned as James Bond.

Broccoli flew Brosnan to London to test for the role. After three intensive days of auditions, the producer announced that Brosnan would be the fourth James Bond.

Before Brosnan had time to fully appreciate the thrill of following Sean Connery, George Lazenby and Roger Moore as Her Majesty's top spy, NBC took up its option on Brosnan's Remington Steele contract, hoping to capitalize on the actor's new profile.

Tied to a new season of Remington Steele, Brosnan had to bow out of The Living Daylights (Timothy Dalton wound up with the role) because Broccoli refused to have his Bond play another character simultaneously.

It was a painful time in Brosnan's career, but in retrospect he says, "It was for the best. I was 33 and I had no real character in my face and not enough maturity in my work. I looked like a baby and I was still finding myself as an actor.

"On Remington Steele, I was essentially playing myself and that's what producers kept asking me to do in the roles I got subsequently and I obliged."

The role would come back to Brosnan in 1995 when he began his reign as Bond in GoldenEye. Sadly, he was not able to share his good fortune with his beloved Cassandra.

In 1987, the year Remington Steele was finally cancelled, Harris was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She died in 1991, the day after their 11th wedding anniversary, leaving Brosnan, at 39, a single father of three children.

"Every moment of those four final years with Cassandra were blessed because we cherished them above everything else.

"Cassie made me the man I am, the actor I am, the father I am. She is forever embedded in every fiber of my being."

In 1994 while attending an environmental fundraiser in Mexico, Brosnan met journalist Keely Shaye-Smith.

Their first son, Dylan Thomas, was born in January 1997 and their second, Paris Beckett, in February 2001. The couple wed in August 2001 on the grounds of the 13th-century Ashford Castle in County Mayo, Ireland.

"It wasn't daunting the first time I had a child with Cassie and by the time Keely and I had our second son, I was diapering with one hand I was so comfortable with my role as father.

"Having children is never daunting when you love someone. It's definitely challenging, especially at my age, but it's also wonderful. I'm really connecting with my two new sons. After I finished filming Die Another Day, I had an incredible vacation with my three sons.

Sean is 19, Dylan is five and Paris is 20 months .

"I realized what an incredibly fortunate man I am and it's a testament to Keely's strength and courage that she wanted to have my children."

Though his contract was up with Die Another Day, Brosnan has agreed to make at least one more Bond film.

"I felt so comfortable playing James this time around that I want to do it again.

"I feel I've gotten better with the one-liners. Though (Bond) now has a light, humorous touch, I feel I've also given him much more of an edge."

In return, Bond has given Brosnan a few things -- such as a scar above his lip, which a stuntman gave him during the filming of Tomorrow Never Dies.

"I think it adds a bit of character but I could have done without blowing out my knee filming the hovercraft sequence for Die Another Day. I'd forgotten to warm up that day and paid dearly for it."

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