Pierce Brosnan reveals what he really thinks of Aaron Taylor-Johnson as James Bond

Publish date: 2024-07-08

The star led four different James Bond films to critical acclaim

The James Bond universe is abuzz with reports that Aaron Taylor-Johnson has been offered the role of the famed MI6 agent, and a former Bond is finally weighing in.

Pierce Brosnan, who played the British spy for the duration of four films between 1995 and 2002, shared his own take on the matter, and he's all for it!

The actor, 70, was a guest on RTÉ Radio 1's The Ray D'Arcy Show last week and was asked by a fan what he thought of Aaron's reported casting in the role.

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The Irish star was pretty complimentary of the 33-year-old English actor, responding: "I think the man has the chops and the talent and the charisma to play Bond, very much so."

Pierce recalled acting with Aaron in the 2009 film , one of the first produced by his own company Irish DreamTime, and also starring Susan Sarandon, Carey Mulligan, and Michael Shannon.

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"One of the first movies we made, one of the earliest movies, was . And he was the greatest in it," he remembered. "So, yes, I read the news about his possibilities of being a Bond, so I would definitely tip my hat to the fellow."

In fact, the actor went so much as to offer his potential successor some advice on taking on the iconic role: "Be bold. Go out there. Have a great time. Just love it. Just go for it. You can do it."

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The star has yet to confirm nor deny any of the reports surrounding his potentially being offered the part, choosing to skirt the topic during a recent interview with .

Pierce made his debut as James Bond in 1995's , following that up with (1997), (1999), and (2002) before hanging up his hat for good.

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He was succeeded by Daniel Craig, who took on the role in 2006 for Casino Royale and played Bond for four more films, ending with 2021's . Pierce was preceded by Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, and Timothy Dalton.

Earlier this month, though, Pierce revealed to the BBC that one actor he would enjoy seeing step into the spy's shoes would be none other than Oscar winner and fellow Irishman Cillian Murphy.

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"Cillian would do a magnificent job as James Bond on ," he opined, although the star exclusively told HELLO! at the same event as Pierce's that he considered himself "a bit too old for that."

Connery was 32 when he first made his debut in , kicking off the film franchise. Lazenby was 30, Moore was 46, and Dalton was 41. Pierce and Daniel fall into the middle, with the former being 42 and the latter 38 when they made their screen debuts as Bond.  If Aaron were to take on the role, he would be one of the younger Bonds out there.

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