Working on Die Another Day with Pierce Brosnan was a very life-affirming experience for Halle Berry. In a new interview with Wired, the actress said that Brosnan “restored my faith in men” during that shoot. She said that she was grateful to be a part of the iconic franchise, but it sounds like Brosnan was the real center of her experience there.
Die Another Day was Brosnan’s last time playing Agent 007, and this time Berry joined the cast as the movie’s “Bond girl,” Jinx. When the movie came up during Berry’s interview, she said that Brosnan “will always be my Bond, always. I’m a Pierce Brosnan fan. He restored my faith in men on that movie. There couldn’t be a human who is more of a gentleman than Pierce Brosnan.” Berry didn’t elaborate much on how Brosnan inspired her or why her faith in men was failing, but when asked a follow-up question, she admitted that she hadn’t been looking for a role in the franchise.
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“Bond wasn’t on my wish list, no, not to be in one,” she said. “But I loved the movies, always. Having been in one, I feel like I’m a part of cinematic history. Those movies are iconic. They will forever be a part of our history, and I’m really honored to have been a part of one – especially with Pierce.”
Die Another Day opens with James Bond failing in a mission in North Korea, where he is captured and held prisoner for 14 months. He is traded back to the U.K. in a prisoner exchange, but is suspected of leaking information under torture. He sets out to clear his own name, and along the way he meets Giacinta “Jinx” Johnson, an NSA agent following similar clues to his. The two work together to stop North Korea’s plots and save the world.
Jinx proved to be a particularly popular character, and she nearly got her own spinoff film. According to a report by Variety, executives were interested in expanding the franchise, but balked at the production price in the end. This reportedly led to some conflict with producer Barbara Broccoli, who was determined to flesh out the “Bond girls” into deeper characters and distance the franchise from its reputation for sexism. At the time, Berry even spoke to the outlet about the long-shelved project.
“It was very disappointing,” she said. “It was ahead of its time. Nobody was ready to sink that kind of money into a Black female action star. They just weren’t sure of its value. That’s where we were then.”
Die Another Day is not currently available on any subscription-based streaming services in the U.S., but it is available to rent or purchase on PVOD services like Prime Video or Apple TV. Berry’s newest movie The Union premiered last week, and is available to stream now on Netflix.
