Latest news with #IrishAccent
BreakingNews.ie
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BreakingNews.ie
‘My accent is very soft': Pierce Brosnan responds to criticism of his Irish accent
Actor Pierce Brosnan has responded to criticism of his Irish accent in MobLand saying his own voice is 'very soft'. The Drogheda-born star plays mobster Conrad Harrigan in the Paramount+ series, which follows the Harrigan crime family and their battle with the Stevenson family in London, but despite the actor being from Ireland, he has faced backlash for his accent in the role. Advertisement The Irish Independent's review of the series said Brosnan's speaking voice as Conrad was 'all over the shop and a huge distraction'. In response to criticism, Brosnan told Radio Times: 'My own accent is very soft, Conrad's accent is a million miles away from me.' He went on to explain that the inspiration for the accent was a man suggested by his dialect coach, adding: 'I told him that I needed a Kerry accent, so he gave me the name of a man and I googled the guy and that was it. 'It was a Kerry accent and so I just gave it full tilt.' Advertisement In the interview, Brosnan also spoke of the mix of worry and excitement he faces when taking on new roles. The 72-year-old explained: 'Every job is a challenge and it all comes with a thump of anxiety, because you have to do something. Brosnan was speaking in an interview with Radio Times magazine (Radio Times/PA) 'What are you doing on the stage? Why are you there? So that's constant. You live with that. You live with that stress all the time, and that's what's so exhilarating. 'That's what makes you alive.' Advertisement Brosnan is best known for playing James Bond from 1995 to 2002, starring in four films as 007 in GoldenEye (1995), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), The World Is Not Enough (1999), and Die Another Day (2002). Entertainment Pierce Brosnan rules out playing an older Bond, sa... Read More He has also starred in Mamma Mia! (2008), Mars Attacks! (1996) and Mrs Doubtfire (1994). Brosnan will appear in a film adaption of Richard Osman's The Thursday Murder Club book, which is set for release in August. The full interview can be read in the latest edition of Radio Times magazine. Advertisement
Daily Mail
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Pierce Brosnan hits back as actor defends his contentious Irish accent in Mobland after critics claimed it was 'all over the place and a huge distraction'
Pierce Brosnan has defended his Irish accent in a new Amazon Prime drama after critics claimed it was 'all over the place' - despite the actor being born and raised in Ireland. The veteran star takes a lead role in director Guy Ritchie 's Mobland, an ambitious contemporary crime drama based around the fictional Harrigan family and their influence on London's criminal underworld. The show finds Brosnan, 72, reunited with Dame Helen Mirren, some forty-six years after they both starred in John Mackenzie's iconic 1979 gangster film The Long Good Friday. But the veteran stars have found themselves at the heart of a contentious debate regarding the believability of their affected Irish accents in the new show - with Brosnan's in particular singled out for criticism. In their review of the show, The Irish Independent unfavourabaly dismissed it as 'all over the place and a huge distraction.' From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the Daily Mail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Speaking to the latest issue of Radio Times, the actor - who was born in Drogheda, County Louth - insisted his role as family patriarch Conrad Harrigan demanded a broader Irish accent than his own. 'My own accent is very soft,' he explained. 'Conrad's accent is a million miles away from me.' While the affected accent used by Conrad - who hails from Kerry on Ireland's south-west coast - has divided viewers, he admits it was inspired by a very real person, suggested by his dialect coach. 'I told him that I needed a Kerry accent,' he said. 'so he gave me the name of a man and I Googled the guy and that was it. It was a Kerry accent. 'And so, I just gave it full tilt.' His role as the "brutish, cunning, charming and dangerous' Conrad is in stark contrast to Brosnan's past endeavours as secret agent James Bond - a character he played across four blockbuster films from 1995 to 2002. But the actor admits he enjoys the freedom that comes with playing the villain for a change, adding: 'I like him. I love him. I enjoy him. I mean, I don't want to be that person – he's a psychopath. 'Yes, there are no holds barred. You own the stage, you have wings to fly and be anything you wish.' The veteran stars have found themselves at the heart of a contentious debate regarding the believability of their affected Irish accents - with Brosnan in particular singled out for criticism Brosnan is working with celebrated director Ritchie for the first time in Mobland, after admiring a canon of work that has taken the filmmaker from low-budget beginnings with Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels to big-budget Hollywood reinterpretations of Sherlock Holmes. 'I have great admiration for Guy Ritchie's work and the style that he has created for himself,' he said. 'The landscape of film-making that he has embroidered over the years is wildly entertaining. 'And this family [the Harrigans] is so mangled and warped – it's twisted, incestuous and dangerous.' And reuniting with old friend Mirren - who also stars alongside him in forthcoming film The Thursday Murder Club - is an added bonus. The 1979 gangster film also starred the more established Mirren (pictured with co-star Bob Hoskins) but the pair did not share any scenes Read Tom's full interview in Radio Times out now. Brosnan was 25-years old when he made his screen debut as an unnamed IRA assassin alongside the more established actress in The Long Good Friday. While Brosnan had no lines and didn't share a single scene with Mirren, his character made a significant contribution to the film's memorable final scene as London gangster Harold Shand, played by the late Bob Hoskins, is whisked away at gunpoint. 'It still holds up as a British gangster movie,' said Brosnan affectionately. 'And now, all these years later, Helen and I are working together again.' The latest issue of Radio Times is out now.
The Sun
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Pierce Brosnan hits back at critics who mocked Irish accent on Mobland as show's future hangs in the balance
PIERCE BROSNAN has hit back after being widely mocked for struggling to master an Irish accent – despite being born in Ireland. He got ridiculed for his lilt while playing mobster Conrad Hannigan in Paramount+ show, MobLand. It contributed to uncertainty over whether the Guy Ritchie -directed thriller, which also stars Helen Mirren and Tom Hardy, would get a second series. But Pierce told the Radio Times: 'My own accent is very soft. Conrad's accent is a million miles away from me.' A dialect coach recommended he speak with someone whose voice he could use as inspiration. Pierce explained: 'I told him I needed a Kerry accent, so he gave me the name of a man and I Googled the guy and that was it. "It was a Kerry accent. And so, I just gave it full tilt.' Sadly, reviews were mixed. 3 yesterday. During a debate on scheduling intimacy, he said: 'I don't think you can. "If I had to look in my diary and it says Thursday night, I'm going to do it – I don't think it works. "I even feel under pressure if it's a Sunday morning.' JOHNNY: C4 LACKS IDENTITY JOHNNY VAUGHAN has slammed Channel 4 for failing to back the 2022 reboot of The Big Breakfast. The presenter, who fronted the show from 1997 to 2001, said the channel had lost its identity without a flagship early-morning programme. 3 He also criticised TV execs' obsession with cooking shows, saying they're full of 'boring, middle-aged, white chefs'. The 2022 reboot of just four episodes, was hosted by Mo Gilligan and AJ Odudu. Johnny told Mo's podcast he watched the reboot and that the show 'just needs time'. He added: 'It's meant to be an alternative to dreary daily breakfast shows. 'Without it, I think it's like school without an assembly. You've got to say who you are every day. This is what's on.' I couldn't agree more.
The Sun
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
‘Unwatchable' Guy Ritchie thriller MobLand ‘set to be axed' as star's TERRIBLE accent is slammed by viewers
GUY RITCHIE might have enjoyed a hit with Netflix's The Gentlemen, but it seems not everything the director touches turns to gold. I understand a second series of his Paramount thriller MobLand — starring Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan and Tom Hardy — is hanging in the balance after it got a very mixed response from viewers. 3 One of the biggest issues involved a surprise flaw of former James Bond Pierce. A TV insider said: 'Viewers have been mocking his Irish accent — which is ironic given he was born in Ireland and lived there till he was four years old. 'But he's always had a cut-glass English delivery. 'Clearly making the shift back to an Irish accent was not as smooth as expected.' In MobLand, Pierce takes the role of Irishman Conrad Hannigan, whose wife Maeve is played by Mirren. The pair head up a criminal family in London. But clearly Pierce's accent has been the biggest crime on the show for some viewers. One posted on X: 'Brosnan has to be the only person born and raised in Ireland that can't pull off an Irish accent.' Another added: 'Brosnan's accent almost makes MobLand unwatchable.' The negative reaction has been a shock given Ritchie's success with The Gentlemen, for which he is now making a second series. Paramount were approached for comment. ELLIS IS BACK ON THE CASE FANS were left begging for more after Ellis made its debut on Channel 5 last year – and now the policing drama has been confirmed for a second run. The show, starring Sharon D Clarke, has been greenlit for more episodes after the first series' debut was watched by more than two million people. Ellis is being seen as new Vera, the hit ITV series starring Brenda Blethyn, which ended in January after 14 years. A source told me: 'Ellis became a huge success for Channel 5 and everyone was over the moon. 'It is no surprise that bosses have rushed to recommission it and they hope it have it on the air as soon as possible.' Filming will begin this month and the new run is expected to air in 2026. Sharon said: 'Ellis is a character who resonates deeply, and I can't wait for audiences to see what we have in store for her.' DRAINING TIME FOR KIRSTIE 3 TELLY toff Kirstie Allsopp has revealed that her most embarrassing moment on Location, Location, Location is referred to by the crew as 'The Flushing Episode'. In a one-off special to celebrate the Channel 4 show's 25th anniversary tonight, the presenter recalls the fateful day involving broken toilets. Kirstie says she was showing clients around a house for sale in Devon – only to find the loo didn't work after she had used it. She explained: 'I was like, 'Can someone please go get a bucket of water, I'll sort it out'. It was hell, absolute hell. 'Then three houses later I very quietly say to the property owners, 'Please can I use your loo?' And they were having work done and that loo didn't work either. God, it was a nightmare.' She added: 'The loo thing is the biggest issue for me and my job.' FAMILY'S OPEN TO GEORGIE IT'S the dating show that sees couples explore polyamory in a huge mansion – but one of the stars of Open House: The Great Sex Experiment has taken it one step further after leaving the Channel 4 show. In the latest series of the show, mum-of-six Amy and partner Claude are seen snogging some of the single housemates , including one called Georgie. And it was such a success, she has been to the pair's home and become part of the family. Amy told me: 'Georgie has been to the house. We decided to introduce her to the children to show her how special she is to us. ' Open House: The Great Sex Experiment airs on Fridays on Channel 4 at 10pm. A BEAST OF A WIN FOR JIM 3 YOUTUBE star MrBeast will be back for two more seasons of his Prime Video show after its debut outing became the platform's most-watched unscripted series ever, with 50 MILLION viewers. The video maker, real name Jimmy Donaldson, hosted and produced Beast Games, which saw 1,000 contestants battle for a £3.7million prize pot that could double in a gamble at the end. Prizes along the way included millions more pounds and the private Panamanian La Vivienda Island. Amazon's MGM studios said: 'MrBeast achieved a significant milestone. 'Following its record-breaking first season, we eagerly anticipate all the new, jaw-dropping challenges MrBeast has planned.'
