In 2002, Aston Martin made a big splash in its big return to the James Bond franchise with its newest model, the Aston Martin Vanquish. Naturally they wanted the movie’s star, Pierce Brosnan, to make the car look cool—but that would come with a price.
In a very casual sit-down with Brosnan on a recent Esquire livestream, the actor revealed he had to fight tooth and nail to get a free car for promoting the Aston Martin Vanquish in the movie. Apparently, Brosnan assumed that the automaker’s involvement in the movie meant he’d be compensated by the automaker as well, and he wanted the fancy car they made him pose next to in pictures.
The rest, well, seemed to be a fight between Aston and Brosnan’s agent:
Brosnan had understood he was owed a car. When Aston Martin said they didn’t have a car to give him, to be quite frank, it sounds like he threw a fit. According to him, he nearly refused to show up to the photo call announcing the new movie, where he’d have to stand next to the car, if Aston didn’t give him what he felt he deserved.
Keep in mind that, by this point, Brosnan had made three Bond movies, Mrs. Doubtfire, and been in a bunch of NBC’s Remington Steele. He was rich. He could afford an Aston Martin. But eventually the automaker gave in, and he got his car.
Gizmodo reached out to Aston Martin about the alleged incident over the mega-rich actor demanding a free car as he dives into his fourth major blockbuster as as one of the most famous characters of all time, but a spokesperson declined to comment due to the age of the story.
In the video, Brosnan also admits to imitating James Bond at a younger age, fantasising over the character played by Roger Moore at the time. He would go racing around in a green Pacer, he says, acting like he was Bond.
Seems like he got Bond’s ego, too. However, in 2015, the Vanquish Brosnan was eventually given for the movie burned in a house fire.