FormerJames Bondactor Pierce Brosnan recalls how his first day onGoldenEyewas almost derailed due to a finger injury. Released in 1995 and directed by Martin Campbell, Brosnan’s debut entry as 007 follows the British superspy as he faces off against rogue MI6 agent Alec Trevelyan (Sean Bean), who is attempting to use a satellite weapon to cause a global financial crisis. The film, which also stars Judi Dench, Famke Janssen and the late Robbie Coltrane, was a hit with audiences and critics alike, leading to Brosnan returning for three moreJames Bondmovies.
During a recent interview onThe Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Brosnan reveals that he faced a unique problem during his first day on set onGoldenEye. The actor recalls howan injury he sustained months earlier resulted in his pinky finger repeatedly popping upwards during a scene in which he holds a pistolto Coltrane’s head. Unable to get his pinky under control, Brosnan was forced to use an adhesive to secure it to the gun. Check out his full recollection of the ordeal below:
“The first day for me was Robbie Coltrane — he was the bad guy — [and] Minnie Driver was singing ‘Stand by Your Man’ with a Russian accent. I had actually just had hand surgery, to tell you the truth. I had sliced this tendon open at home, so I’d been in a splint for about 12 weeks, and I got it off the first morning of shooting James Bond. Six-page scene, and I could hardly move my hand.
“The very first shot is the camera following Robbie Coltrane, and he comes behind a curtain, and I point the gun to his head, and he says, ‘Only three men in the world own that weapon, and I’ve killed two of them.’ So we went for the take… and my finger went, ‘Toot!’ — like this. ‘Sorry, it’s okay!’
“I shouldn’t be even telling you this, but anyway, Martin Campbell was the director and he said, ‘Let’s go again. Let’s go again.’ Same line, finger just went like that. So, I got a Band-Aid and I stuck it to the gun. And that was it, problem solved! Got through the day’s work.”
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While there’s always pressure on aBondmovie to succeed, this is doubly true of installments that introduce a new actor as 007. Timothy Dalton’s two outings as Bond were met with somewhat mixed receptions in the late ’80s, with Brosnan then stepping in to replace him after a six-year gap between movies. Brosnan’s debut inGoldenEyewas a success, and the film, which has an 80% score onRotten Tomatoes, grossed $356 million worldwide, a major improvement overLicence to Kill’s lackluster $156 million.
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The James Bond gadgets were no more prevalent than during the Pierce Brosnan era of 007 movies, and all of them are great gadgets in their own right.
Brosnan’s finger injury, then, certainly didn’t affect what ended up on screen, and Brosnan was well-liked as Bond. Though his finger slicing didn’t happen during filming, the actor did recently share onThe Jonathan Ross Showthat he suffered a face injury that required stitches while filming a boat stunt for one of his 007 movies. Both of Brosnan’s stories speak to the creative problem-solving and danger present onBondmovie sets – and movie sets in general – which will surely also be present on theupcomingJames Bond 26.
James Bond 26doesn’t yet have a release date or director, and it’s not clear who will play the spy next. The upcoming film will mark the first installment of the franchise under Amazon’s creative control.
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Though some ofBrosnan’s laterBondmoviesweren’t as well-received, withDie Another Day(2002) arguably closing out his tenure on a sour note,GoldenEyewas an exciting introduction to this new era for the franchise. Campbell clearly has an eye for dynamic action set pieces, and Brosnan managed to strike a balance in this installment between suave and dangerous.
Brosnan’s story doesn’t really affectGoldenEye’s legacy in any major way, butit could make rewatches of the film more fun. Now, it’ll be worth paying attention to the scene he describes, knowing that there’s a Band-Aid keeping his pinky stuck to the grip of his pistol. It’s unclear who will be next to playJames Bond, but Brosnan evidently had an eventful and exciting tenure as the iconic character.
