Taking on a job with as large of a scope as becoming the new James Bond is something that I would imagine prompts a ton of advice. Fans, producers, and actors alike all have their opinion on how to (and who should) play 007, so there’s never a shortage of people with thoughts on the character. That said, the advice that Pierce Brosnan gave No Time To Die’s Daniel Craig when he first started as James Bond was pretty solid; though Craig admits didn’t take it for years after he received it.
Daniel Craig’s Memory Of Pierce Brosnan’s Advice
While promoting the release of the 25th James Bond film during an appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden, Daniel Craig told his side of a story we’d previously heard. Asked by Corden what advice he would give the next actor inheriting the role, Craig dispensed his own advice, while also recalling his own big moment getting mentored by a great. In fact, Pierce Brosnan had advice for him after he landed the role, and here's how Craig tells it:
Pierce Brosnan said it to me -- and I went and saw him when I’d just got the part. He was brilliant. He just said, ‘Just enjoy the ride.’ Just enjoy it. I just started enjoying it a year ago, that’s funny.
Over the 15 years that Daniel Craig played the role of 007 (which of course concluded in the explosive conclusion that is No Time To Die), we’ve seen the actor have various degrees of fun, or a lack thereof, during that experience. His claim that he’s only just started to enjoy the ride could be debated, but it can’t be argued that this latest press tour does seem to have been easier on the outgoing James Bond than some of his previous outings. He couldn’t have picked a better time to take advice about enjoying the ride, as it was only last year that Pierce Brosnan himself spoke about giving said pearls of wisdom to his post-Die Another Day successor.
Pierce Brosnan’s Memory Of Meeting And Advising Daniel Craig
Very similar to Daniel Craig’s story of first getting the role in Casino Royale and consulting Pierce Brosnan for advice, the fifth actor to play Bond has his own memories of advising the next generation. As one of the many gems he shared during last year’s livestream commentary for Goldeneye, Brosnan recounted running into Craig in those early days of his casting. Though that story included a little more background, and even more advice, as you’ll see below:
We did pass in the night, Daniel and I, when my day was done. I knew that Daniel was going to be, and had been offered, the part. He was very apprehensive about it. And I remember seeing him one night, we were in a club, having a great time with friends. He was really wrestling with it, that I just said ‘Go do it. You can do it, you’ll be brilliant, you’ll kick yourself if you don’t. Snap out of it, and go be Bond.’ And boy, did he ever?
This was in addition to Brosnan providing advice to Craig on what to do with his post-Bond career. As you may have guessed, those words of encouragement were also a signal to enjoy what life throws at you, with a hearty approval of the job he’d done up to that point.
Though, now I feel like it would be really interesting to catch up with Pierce Brosnan and see how he felt about No Time To Die’s jaw-dropping ending. Perhaps the press tour for Black Adam will present that very opportunity; regardless, in the meantime, you can watch Pierce Brosnan’s full live-stream commentary for Goldeneye, thanks to the embed provided below.
Some day, the next James Bond is probably going to run into Daniel Craig, wondering what he’ll suggest to the next generation of 007. Who knows what he’ll say, besides a potential repeat of his former advice: “don’t be shit.” All anyone knows at this point is (much like Pierce Brosnan did at one point) Mr. Craig is now headed into the next chapter of his legacy, tuxedo firmly optional.
No Time To Die is currently available for rental, with the additional home video release date slated for December 21st. Should you want to watch that Goldeneye commentary alongside the film itself, you can stream Pierce Brosnan’s first 007 adventure through various sources, including Prime Video. If you’re an aspiring actor waiting to become the next James Bond, you could do worse when it comes to preparing for the gig.
