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Pierce Brosnan reveals embarrassing driving mishap on set of 'GoldenEye'

Pierce Brosnan behind the wheel in 'GoldenEye'. (Credit: Eon/MGM)
Pierce Brosnan behind the wheel in 'GoldenEye'. (Credit: Eon/MGM)

Pierce Brosnan’s take on James Bond was effortlessly suave and cool, but that did not apply to the actor himself when his licence to kill almost claimed the life of a car on the GoldenEye set.

The actor revealed the embarrassing blunder during a watch-along of his first Bond adventure with Esquire.

Read more: Pierce Brosnan backs prospect of female James Bond

He said he was driving a swish Aston Martin in Monte Carlo during one of the movie’s scenes, but noted that he could “smell burning” on the sixth take.

“There are many people gathered to watch this; hundreds of people around the casino,” he said.

“And the man who owns the car is there, watching his beautiful vehicle being driven by yours truly. I’d left the handbrake on.”

Pierce Brosnan attends the Prince's Trust and TK Maxx & Homesense Awards on March 11, 2020. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)
Pierce Brosnan attends the Prince's Trust and TK Maxx & Homesense Awards on March 11, 2020. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)

He added: “I thought ‘oh my God’. And I said after the sixth take ‘alright, we’ve got the shot’, and I scarpered off into the night.

“I’m sure [the car’s owner] was taken care of by the company, I hope he was anyway.”

Read more: Aston Martin DB5 voted greatest movie car ever

The financial stakes were certainly high, as one of the Aston Martin DB5 vehicles used in GoldenEye sold at auction for £1.96m in 2018.

Even without the prestige of the big screen, a used DB5 would set you back between £695,000 and £1.2m, according to current Auto Trader listings.

Pierce Brosnan poses against an Aston Martin DB5 in a publicity still for the James Bond film 'GoldenEye'. (Photo by Keith Hamshere/Getty Images)
Pierce Brosnan poses against an Aston Martin DB5 in a publicity still for the James Bond film 'GoldenEye'. (Photo by Keith Hamshere/Getty Images)

During the watch-along, Brosnan also revealed that Quentin Tarantino pitched him a James Bond movie during a drunken evening.

He said: “He wanted to do James Bond, and I went back to the shop and told them but it wasn't meant to be.

“No Quentin Tarantino for James Bond. What a shame.”

Read more: Bond to drive hybrid Aston Martin in No Time to Die

Watch-alongs are the closest fans can get to a 007 fix at the moment, with Daniel Craig’s final Bond movie delayed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

No Time to Die is currently scheduled to be released on 12 November.