Why Pierce Brosnan says it's a "delight" to break free from being cast only as the handsome

The Meath man revealed that he had been trained to transform as an actor while in drama school in Ireland, but quickly found that he wouldn't be doing much of that in Hollywood.

Pierce explained that he was offered steady roles playing "himself" and, with a young family to look after, he took them.

"I was taught in drama school to transform. But then I went to America and had too good a time playing myself. Or trying to play myself, which is not an easy thing to do. And I had responsibilities as a man, as a father, and I found employment easily," he told the Independent.

"Sometimes I made choices that I shouldn’t have made. I was dealing with the self and that image of the self. But as I’ve got older, it’s free rein," he said.

The 72-year-old is now playing boxing coach Brendan Ingle in his latest film, "Giants". The heartfelt role sees Pierce wear prosthetics to make him look significantly older, which is aided by a pair of large-frame glasses.

Pierce Brosnan at the "Mobland" premiere in 2025.

He explained that he is thrilled to be able to take on these roles as a veteran actor, having starred as heartthrob characters in the past.

"It’s such a delight to shake off that image that you might have created. Or that corner that you’ve painted yourself into. It was fun to create that image, but it’s also fun to uncreate it," he told the outlet.

It seems Pierce might be set to bring us some more tear-jerker movies in the future!

Check out the trailer for "Giants" here: 

* This article was originally published on Evoke.ie.