Back in 2020, Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, who played James Bond in four 007 flicks between 1995 and 2002, spoke to Ireland’s Late Late Show about his marriage and faith and told the show’s host, Ryan Tubridy, that it is his Christian faith that he credits with helping him through the trials of life. Brosnan is a lifelong Roman Catholic who was raised in the faith.
Such is what Brosnan told Tubridy, saying, “I was brought up an Irish Catholic, which has kept me in good stead throughout the trials and tribulations of my life.” That came when he was commenting on a charity, called Pieta House, that helps people tempted by suicide. Speaking to those afflicted by such thoughts, he said that they should, “stay in contact with friends, reach out to people and if you have faith, some prayers in your heart, God in your heart and entrust God in yourself.”
Further, the actor spoke about staying married, as he and his wife Keely were celebrating their 26th anniversary at the time. “It’s constant work, supporting and loving each other,” he said. He added, “We have been blessed with a good friendship in life but always solving problems because there is always going to be problems, so you have to know how to solve them and get on with it.”
Similarly, in 2014, Brosnan spoke about how it’s helpful to “have a bit of prayer in your back pocket,” noting that his Christian faith and prayer have helped him make it through some difficult times in life, with prayer being a pillar that he can always rely on when he is suffering and needs hope to guide him to the end of the tunnel of the dark present.
He said, speaking about prayer, “It always helps to have a bit of prayer in your back pocket. At the end of the day, you have to have something and for me that is God, Jesus, my Catholic upbringing, my faith… God has been good to me. My faith has been good to me in the moments of deepest suffering, doubt and fear. It is a constant, the language of prayer.”
Though a successful actor, Brosnan has had much darkness that he needed help getting through. Particularly, he spoke about the death of his first wife and daughter, both from ovarian cancer, and how that ate away at him. “I went through it all, very publicly,” Pierce Brosnan said. “Such things draw a mark across your heart and it’s always a part of your life. To watch someone you love have their life eaten away – bit by bit, by this insidious and horrid disease – becomes an indelible part of your psyche. It was and is a terrible loss.”
But, thanks to God and prayer, Brosnan made it through the dark periods sparked by those losses and come out on the other side, something many of those with a strong bond with the Lord have in common thanks to the peace and hope that comes with prayer and faith.
Featured image credit: By Sheksays – flickr.com, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1294688