"There's a certain agreement there"— Pierce Brosnan addresses Helen Mirren's comments about sexism in James Bond
Pierce Brosnan recently responded to Helen Mirren's criticism of the "profound sexism" in James Bond movies, according to a People magazine article, published on April 1, 2025. The actor who played the 007 character in four movies said that Mirren was not entirely wrong about calling out the sexism in the franchise during her recent interview with The London Standard.
"She let them have it... Yes, there's a certain agreement there. But there's a certain world and worm to move within the proscenium arch of what [Bond creator and author] Ian Fleming put down. So there's always going to be conflict," he said.
Brosnan's comments came after Helen Mirren told the UK-based newspaper that while she is a fan of the actor and others who played Bond in the movies, she does not like the franchise. She also said that she "never liked the way women were in James Bond," calling it "drenched and born out of profound sexism."
That said, Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren have become "unexpected" friends as they worked together in Paramount Plus' newest crime series Mob Land, which also stars Tom Hardy. Brosnan and Mirren play the patriarch and matriarch of an influential crime family in the series, which premiered on the streamer on March 30.
Pierce Brosnan would return in James Bond "in a pinch" if asked
Pierce Brosnan first suited up to play the iconic British spy in a James Bond movie in the 1995 film Golden Eye and remained in the role until Die Another Day in 2002. After that, the character was turned over to Daniel Craig. However, Craig also decided to finish his run as 007 in 2021's No Time to Die. While Amazon has teased a "fresh" James Bond movie, no one knows who the next 007 will be.
As for Pierce Brosnan, when he was asked about the possibility of coming back to the franchise as 007 during his April 2, 2025 appearance on the Today show, he said:
"I think I could get away with it, yes. In a pinch."
He further said about staging a comeback in the franchise:
"Let's see where the wind takes us. Let's see what happens. They know where to find me... Why not."
Besides playing the titular spy, Pierce Brosnan is also considering another role if he ever comes back to the franchise. In an interview with Men's Journal, published on April 2, 2025, when he was asked about potentially returning as a Bond villian, he said:
"Could be. I mean, why not? It's entertainment. People would love it."
It appears that the James Bond actor is not the only one who would consider such a turn-around. His MonLand co-star Anson Boon, who was also in the interview to promote their new series with Paramount Plus said that he would watch it.
Playing a Bond villain also would not be far off from Brosnan's current role in MobLand. While he is among the primary characters in the series, he plays a character who is on the other side of the law.
Viewers can catch Pierce Brosnan as Conrad Harrigan, the patriarch of the Harrigan crime family, on Mob Land, which is now streaming on Paramount Plus, with new episodes arriving every Sunday.
