Pierce Brosnan ‘thrilled’ to play Doctor Fate in Black Adam

He plays the mystical Dr. Fate in the new blockbuster action-adventure film Black Adam, which opens in Britain today. There’s just one little problem: Brosnan can’t see a thing. “The helmet was like putting a bucket on your head,” he laughs. “It was completely dark in there. However, I had faith that they would make me look magnificent as Dr. Fate.”

He has played the handsome spy James Bond, a singing Lothario in Mamma Mia! already an international art thief in The Thomas Crown Affair, but Pierce Brosnan has never been a big-screen superhero, until now.

The Irish-born hunk, who turns 70 next year, plays the mystical Dr. Fate, leading a band of superheroes battling Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s Black Adam, an anti-hero with god-like powers, plucked from the pages. from DC Comics.

The couple wore pink this week to a photo shoot in London to promote the film, ahead of its premiere on the yellow “red carpet” in Leicester Square.

And apparently looking like a superhero comes at a price: frequent humiliation on the set. In addition to being blind when he donned his gold helmet, Brosnan also shot many scenes in a body-hugging motion capture suit (‘mocap’), covered in dozens of colored balls that cameras could record and calibrate to play back on. CGI.

“When you have the mocap suit, that’s a story in itself,” he smiles, remembering being dressed as a cross between a mime and a clown. “It can be very embarrassing. But luckily I’ve worked in the theatre, I’ve done pantomime, street theater and circus work, so I can go out there and keep my head up.”

Like everyone else, life has returned to normal for Brosnan, who spent much of the lockdown on the north shore of the Hawaiian island of Kauai with his wife Keely Shaye Smith and their sons Dylan, musicians, filmmakers and models, wearing helmets like buckets. . tone and Paris.

The family went into quarantine after Brosnan, an ambassador for The Prince’s Trust, came into contact with Prince Charles, who tested positive for Covid-19 shortly after they met.

The star, who has her own studio, kept busy, using the lockdown to paint. She has also been writing her memoir.

But for now, he’s thrilled to have been invited to join a superhero movie after decades of being overlooked.

“For many years I’ve asked myself, ‘Will I ever get a job in a superhero movie?'” he says. “And I think the timing was perfect for me. I’d watch these movies and say, ‘I wonder if they’ll ever offer me anything.’ And lo and behold, here I am now playing this legendary and iconic character, Dr. Fate, with the golden helmet that gives him these great powers.”

Journalist Keely, Brosnan’s wife of 21 years, says: “He’s a superhero at home, why not on the big screen as well?”

But even superheroes need help sometimes: Last week, Brosnan went to court to get a restraining order against a woman who was allegedly harassing the actor, his wife and children.

Michelle Mulready was living in her car outside Brosnan’s Malibu mansion, harassing and scaring the family, she claimed.

He stays busy, with eight movies in development, and relishes the opportunity to make a third Mamma Mia!, now in the works, saying, “It’s criminal how much fun you have with that movie.”

He will also exhibit his art in Los Angeles this month, having begun painting to ease his pain when his first wife, actress Cassandra Harris, was dying of cancer in 1987. “Carrying the weight, the pain and the fear of that sickness, I took out the paintings”, he recalls.

As for his new movie, Dr. Fate isn’t your typical hard-bodied, ageless superhero, and Brosnan felt like he’d grown into the role. “Dr. Fate met me at a good time in my life, with the years that I have on top, and the life experience that I have lived, ”he says.

It’s also the fulfillment of a childhood dream from his days reading superhero comics with a torch under the covers.

“I’ve always loved the comic book genre and I love these movies,” says Brosnan. “They’re spectacular, so to be a part of Black Adam is just monumental. When they offered me this role, I was so happy, so overwhelmed, really.”

Superhero movies have become the most profitable movies in Hollywood in recent years, with franchises including Spider-Man, Thor, Captain America, the Justice League, and classics like Superman and Batman. If they’re successful, they can lead to lucrative sequels, and future Dr. Fate appearances could give Brosnan his biggest payday yet.

Brosnan’s Dr. Fate is also known as his alter ego, archaeologist Kent Nelson, who is a young boy when his father is murdered while the duo discover an ancient Egyptian tomb. Feeling sorry for the orphaned Nelson, an Egyptian god trains him in arcane magic, giving him the mystical helmet and cape that transform him into a clairvoyant superhero.

The character first appeared on the printed page in 1940, just a year after Batman’s first appearance and two years after Superman.

“Dr. Fate is one of the oldest characters in the DC Comics pantheon,” explains Brosnan.

“He is a wizard, but above all he is a man: he is Kent Nelson, he is an archaeologist. And his entry into this world came with a sacrifice, and that was the death of his father.

“But his powers are a blessing and a curse. This is a man who sees the future, so he sees people dying and dying. And when you have those kinds of secrets in your DNA as a character, then as an actor, you can bring a subtext that is very personal.

“It takes great strength and courage to get into that helmet and into that world. There are demons inside of him and yet he’s a very kind and nice guy.”

Brosnan even sees something of himself in the bewitching superhero, admitting, “Dr. Fate is very close to me.”

Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, 50, who plays anti-hero Black Adam, a vengeful demigod bent on justice at all costs, who was imprisoned for 5,000 years by ancient gods as punishment for his murderous ways, has high praise for Brosnan. .

“The truth is that there was no one else on the planet who could have played Dr. Fate other than Pierce,” says Johnson. “Pierce as Dr. Fate is the anchor of our movie.”

Producer Beau Flynn agrees: “When we were able to hire Pierce, it was a huge win for us…Pierce was our first choice.

“He was so excited, because he said all his classmates had done superhero movies, or Harry Potter movies, and he hadn’t done any.”

Johnson also sees a lot of Black Adam in himself: “Flying and being able to shoot electricity out of my hands,” he laughs.

More seriously, he adds: “I would probably say conviction and passion.”

The film introduces the Justice Society of America to movie audiences: one of the first superhero groupings in comics.

“The JSA was the first group of superheroes, even before the Justice League,” says Johnson. The group includes Black Adam, Dr Fate, Hawkman, Atom Smasher, and Cyclone.

But unlike well-established superhero franchises, Black Adam could face an uphill battle to win over audiences who have never heard of the character created 82 years ago.

“It wasn’t an existing IP [intellectual property] that everyone knew. All these characters come to life for the first time in the history of cinema. I am proud and honored to be in this group.”

Brosnan had to be carefully tailored for a flattering, form-fitting suit that looks almost painted on, complete with elbow-length gold gloves and a heavy belt topped by a sparkling mystical gemstone.

Decades since his days playing 007 in four movies, including GoldenEye and Die Another Day, Dr. Fate’s muscular physique required a little help from filler.

By contrast, Dwayne Johnson’s body is so chiseled and oversized from years of physical training that his superhero costume had to be tailored to highlight every bulging muscle.

“You’re getting a real superhero body for the first time,” says costume designer Kurt of Hollywood design duo Kurt and Bart, though Thor star Chris Hemsworth may disagree.

The real challenge was: How do we create definition in this suit? How do we keep the material really thin so we can see the definition and the curvature?”

Johnson was impressed: “The first time I put on that suit… at that moment, I became Black Adam. It was very special.”

Brosnan, set to star in the upcoming romantic comedy Not Bloody Likely and the heartwarming tale of World War II veterans The Last Rifleman, enjoyed his superhero debut as Dr. Fate and would welcome a sequel, confessing, “I really, really enjoyed it. interpret it.”