Not every gig
Last week we talked about the legacy of James Bond and I mentioned my affinity for Pierce Brosnan, being my first Bond.
The thing is, Brosnan shouldn’t have been my first Bond. He was originally offered the role in 1986, to replace longtime Bond actor Roger Moore.
At the time, Brosnan was starring in NBC’s Remington Steele, which had recently been canceled. Upon being offered the role of Bond, however, Brosnan became a household name and, in an effort to capitalize on the public’s new interest, NBC renewed Remington Steel, trapping Brosnan in a contract that prevented him from accepting the most famous role in the world.
Actor Louie Anderson said that, at the time, Brosnan was “heartbroken.”
Pierce himself has since opened up about that period of time:
“I’d done all the photos with the iconic gun pose and my late wife and I were about to toast our new life with a bottle of Cristal when my agent called and said: “It’s fallen through.” ”
The role went instead to Timothy Dalton, who brought a much more aggressive, largely humorless take on the character.
After just two movies poorly received by fans and critics alike, Dalton was out. What ensued was the longest drought in Bond history – a full 6 years before the next film. For much of that period, it looked like the long-running franchise had finally run out of bullets.
And then, in 1994, the role was offered to Brosnan once again. It was the first time in history an actor was getting a second-chance at the role. 8 years had passed since the original offer. He met with producers Cubby and Barbara Broccoli and a week later got a simple phone call:
“You’re in.”
The movie was Goldeneye, which would go down for many Bond fans as a series highlight (not to mention its companion video game’s legacy as one of the greatest games in history).
Looking back on Pierce Brosnan’s physique and youth in 1986, compared with his more chiseled maturity in 1995, it’s hard to imagine the Brosnan of ‘86 inhabiting the role.
I often wonder what would have happened if fate (or money-grabby TV execs) hadn’t been conspiring against him. Would he, too, have suffered from just 2 poorly received films, and been relegated to a near-forgotten chapter in Bond’s history?
We’ll never know.
And we never do. As my friend and colleague Michael Kent said on my podcast, “Not every gig is meant to be your gig.”
Do you remember every missed opportunity from 8 years ago? I sure don’t. It’s not that things happen for a reason, it’s just that things that don’t happen simply don’t happen.
Next time you’re denied a promotion or job offer, lose a bidding war on a house, or a pandemic cancels your dream vacation, remember:
What’s lost is lost. But what’s to come is still yours to make. After all, there’s no point in living if you can’t feel alive.
