The 1990 role Pierce Brosnan will always regret not playing: “I carried the remorse for ages”
Pierce Brosnan has revealed that he regrets turning down the 1990 film "Mountains of the Moon" about explorer Richard Burton. In a 2010 interview, the now 70-year-old actor admitted he had wanted the role from director Bob Rafelson badly and "carried the remorse for ages" after declining it.
The film ultimately starred Irish actor Patrick Bergin and, whilst it received critical appreciation and featured early roles for Richard E Grant and Fiona Shaw, it was not a commercial success. Brosnan continues to build his later-career portfolio with multiple current and upcoming projects including roles in MobLand, the Cliffhanger reboot, Extraction 3, and the Thursday Murder Club films.
- Pierce Brosnan regrets declining 1990 film Mountains of the Moon about explorer Richard Burton
- The role went to Patrick Bergin; film got critical praise but flopped commercially
- Actor now experiencing career renaissance at 70+ with multiple upcoming projects
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Pierce Brosnan is an Irish actor best known for playing James Bond in four films during the 1990s and early 2000s. In 2010, he revealed in an interview that he had turned down the lead role in "Mountains of the Moon" (1990), directed by Bob Rafelson.
"Mountains of the Moon" was a biographical drama about explorer Richard Francis Burton and his wife Isabel. The role went to Irish actor Patrick Bergin; whilst the film received critical appreciation and featured early performances by Richard E Grant and Fiona Shaw, it was not a commercial success.
Brosnan admitted that he had wanted the role badly and said he "carried the remorse for ages" after declining it. His regret about this missed opportunity persisted for years.