MPAA Rating Rated PG-13 for action violence and sexuality. (theatrical version); Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action violence, and sexual content including innuendo. (2006 video version)
Production Companies Eon Productions Ltd. (as Albert R. Brocolli's Eon Productions Limited), Danjaq Productions, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), United Artists
Other Titles • Die Another Day (2002) • Beneath the Ice • D.A.D. • James Bond 20 • James Bond 007 - Stirb an einem anderen Tag (2002) • Beyond the Ice • James Bond XX • Juggernaut • Nobody Lives Forever
Having completed his fourth 007 adventure, Pierce Brosnan has definitely stamped his authority on the role of secret agent James Bond. "With three successful movies behind me, I slip right into the role," he says. But that doesn’t mean the job is easy. "I still give a hundred and ten percent all the time," he says. "The challenge now is to continually make it better than the one before. That’s tough because we’ve set the bar so high.
"Bond is an action hero, a fantastic creation," he continues, "but you still have to fight for the character, find what he’s hungry for and find the drama within the action." To that end, Brosnan was pleased to find Die Another Day’s script based in a strong narrative. "There’s great character there," he says. "Bond is captured, tortured, and stripped of his credentials as a double-O agent. For the first time, he becomes a renegade, forced to redeem himself and get back into the game. He almost loses his identity. What better grist for the mill for a character like Bond?"
The Bond films are very collaborative endeavors, and to that end, Brosnan helped in the development of the script. "I made a point of sitting down with the writers, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, and talking about the script from an early stage. We tossed around questions: What if Bond was captured? What if he was outside the loop? We talked broad strokes – then, of course, it was up to them."
In addition to putting Bond in unexplored territory, the filmmakers had fun including subtle references to past Bond films in honor of the 40th anniversary of the franchise. This historical milestone invigorated and energized the production. "I couldn’t be happier to be around at this time of the Bond legacy," Brosnan says. "I am very proud of Bond, and very proud to have completed four films."
For Brosnan, four films has also meant four directors and four styles of filmmaking. "The choice of directors has always been quite solid," he says. "But Lee Tamahori has his own distinctive style, very loose and energetic. He’s done an incredible job for Die Another Day, making it very muscular, very edgy and very sharp. He knew the story inside out. He knew the nuances of all the characters. He has a very quick brain."
Brosnan has nothing but praise for his co-stars in this go-round. "Toby Stephens, Rosamund Pike, Rick Yune – they’re very exciting additions to the Bond family, and they’ve done a great job. It was wonderful working with Judi Dench again – she’s an incredible woman – and it was great fun doing scenes with John Cleese. It’s a really amazing cast. Every single person put themselves on the line and pushed themselves farther than they thought they could, and that really shows onscreen. The film looks stunning."
As for Halle Berry, when asked about what stands out in his memory during filming, Brosnan smiles. "Halle coming out of the surf is way up there," he says. "She’s an incredible dramatic actress, but she can also play an action hero with the best of them. It was a great treat to be able to work with her, and we had a great time doing so. Working with Halle is definitely on top of the list."
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