"I wanted to hit" : Pierce Brosnan pushed the boundaries on the set of The Ghost Writer (France 3) by Roman Polanski

“When Roman Polanski called me for Ghost Writer, I couldn’t believe it. Why me?”Pierce Brosnan was surprised. Why was Roman Polanski so strongly attached to this playboy physique actor whose cinematic success was playing James Bond in four of the saga’s films from 1995 to 2002? Polanski wants Brosnan to play Adam Lang, a former British prime minister exiled to an island and followed by the media for his war crimes in Iraq. A complex and dark role a thousand miles away from the stampede 007 seducer…

a wounded actor

The script is adapted from: man of shadows, journalist Robert Harris’ bestselling book denouncing the subjugation relations between Tony Blair and the United States during the war in Iraq. Manipulated by the CIA, left by all his friends, Adam Lang hires a “ghost writer” (played by Ewan McGregor) to write his memoirs… Polanski is confident in his choice regarding Brosnan. The cracks and anguish that the actor has secretly buried in the depths interests him. This Irish actor from a poor background did indeed lose his wife, Cassy, ​​to cancer in 1991. The way he sees it as malicious in bonds by Daniel Craig. Betrayed by the studios, the 55-year-old actor is only a shadow of himself in depression.

“I wanted to hit…”

“Deep down, Pierce looks like me. He started from scratch like me, lost his wife and had a bad time. He’s going to play the role of Gravity.”shifts Polanski to its makers. Well seen. A master of manipulation, the director will reveal the dark side of people in every scene. Even if it means psychologically harassing him on set: “We were in a private jet on the first day of filming. I had been working on my lines all night and now I was ready”remembers Pierce Brosnan. But against all odds, Polanski avoids it wonderfully! “He took care of everything, the sets, the cameras, ignoring me” After 4 hours, the player returns to the locker room: “I was under pressure, I wanted to fight like a boxer, to hit.” As if by chance, Polanski had shot the movie at that very moment… “The tension was at its peak and it was reflected on my face on the screen”Brosnan admits.

Tireless little man

During three months of filming in the freezing rain of the northern German islands of Sylt and Pellworm, Pierce Brosnan was captivated by the director’s artistic acumen. “He sees everything, he understands everything, he predicts everything, he has a true vision.” Above all, Brosnan marvels at the immense energy of this tireless little man, who repeats every text, imitates every scene, constantly moving between sets with his camera, as if captured by his film. “Incredibly demanding”adds the actor: “He’s a genius, even though he shows a certain brutality towards his players…”

Ghost Writer Thursday, February 19 at 20:55 art.

Jean-Baptiste Drouet