04-13-2006
He said... (part 2)
About playing Remington Steele:
"I'm
aware of American television, and felt if I tried to do a great
characterization of him, I might fall flat on my face. So I went in and
kind of put myself in a humorous situation, and tried to find the
twinkle within the character. There's a depth to him now, much more
this season, but he's quite close to me; yes, he's close to me. I'd lie
if I said otherwise, if I said that I did an in-depth study of the
character. He's very close to home. I could get into some sticky water
talking about this." (Playgril, February 1984)
About handling RS character throughout his carrier:
"I
do have to remind people that when I did 'Remington Steele' I knew I
was going to have to get myself out from a rock at the end of it
because of the image it had created of me. Up until 'Remington Steele'
I'd done a lot of theatre and was seen as an actor. But 'Remington'
locked me inside that mould of being just a sex-symbol, and people in
general often don't see beyond that so it has, to a degree, mitigated
against my being accepted as an actor, certainly. But that just makes
me want to work harder to remind them of what, and who I am." (Hot
Press, July 1992)
About being inspired by Cary Grant to play Remington Steele:
"Cary
Grant invented himself and I've done a bit of that. But I never saw
myself as a debonair leading man-I always saw myself as this hesitant
actor. I did look at old Cary Grant movies to prepare for "Remington
Steele." If I have half the career that Cary Grant had, I'd be quite
happy." (Movieline, November 1995)
About the animosity between Zimbalist and him:
"There
was never an open animosity between us, it was never a set like
"Moonlighting," where Bruce Willis and Cybill Shepherd were at each
other's throats, if you believe everything you read." (Movieline,
November 1995)
About being refused the opportunity to be James Bond in 1986:
"I
was pissed off. I was extremely angry. I had wanted to move on from
Remington Steele after the first season but I had signed a contract,
and I think that once you commit to something and say you want to do it
you see it through to the end. There wasn’t much point in stamping my
feet and saying, ‘I’m gonna dishonor this project.’ It gave me a career
in America and a wonderful lifestyle and schooling for my children and
a home and it was a wonderful education as an actor to work constantly
in front of the cameras." (Irish America, June 1997)
About hesitating to accept the role of Remington Steele:
"I
had no idea how to play that character. I was so heavy-handed in
rehearsals. Then my late wife said, 'Be yourself. Have fun.' And once I
did, that was it. I became Remington Steele, and that was very
enjoyable." (Biography, November 1997)
Sources : Pierce Brosnan Files
04-10-2006
He said... (part 1)
About filming Remington Steele in Ireland:
"It
was quite an emotional experience. The show is very popular there. I
took my mother and stepfather with me as a treat, and they were quite
impressed by all the fuss. Until then, I don't think they'd taken what
I do very seriously." (Los Angeles Times, April 9, 1984)
About starting his carrier in America with Remington Steele:
"I
came to California dreaming of working with Martin Scorsese, of working
with the down-and-dirty experimental types, but they gave me Remington
Steele, and I couldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. It quickly
became apparent that I was on this TV treadmill and that it was a
monstrous machine." (Playboy, December 2005)
About having played a TV character:
"Although
my boyish looks got me the 'Remington Steele' job on TV, it got in the
way after the show went off the air. People said I was too pretty and
couldn't be taken seriously. I had tried so hard to be the suave,
sophisticated, witty guy on that show that I created this monster for
myself. It became a trap." (Lubbock Online, February 1997)
About learning the scripts:
"The
first season I would learn the entire script each weekend. I treated
each segment as if it were a play by a major dramatist. The second
season I learned my lines a couple of days before. This season I'm
learning them the night before. You learn to relax a little. With luck,
the work improves...." (Los Angeles Times, April 9, 1984)
About Stephanie Zimbalist being already known when RS started:
"She
was a name before I was a name because of her father. I was a name only
to the people who had watched The Manions of America. I always got the
feeling that they thought maybe Brosnan couldn't carry the show." (TV
Guide, June 9, 1984)
About Stephanie being less famous than he was:
"She's
jealous, but we talk about it. I was always totally honest. I told her,
'I'm getting a publicist. Now you do it. Go for it'." (TV Guide, June
9, 1984)
Sources : Pierce Brosnan Files
04-09-2006
She said...
About Pierce Brosnan being more famous than she was:
"I
am not sure we used that word [jealousy]. We were sitting in the back
of a limousine waiting for a shot, and we had a long talk about our
insecurities. We acknowledged that we've both had them about each other
and we needed to talk about it. It was a good talk. He is charming and
funny to work with. He's a very good actor and I realize, in the end,
if he does marketing and he promotes himself, then it's really for my
good and we really are each other's pal. We are not in a race." (TV
Guide, June 9, 1984)
About being offered the role of Laura Holt:
"I
didn't want to do a series, any series. I didn't want to get
stereotyped in a character, and I didn't want that frantic kind of
shooting schedule. And what about quality control? What if it turned
into schlock? You can't just call in and say that you aren't crazy
about the script so you're passing on this episode. I said no thanks
and went off to South Africa with my pop.[...] Finally, one morning I
got up about five thirty and read it [the script of the pilot] through.
When I was done, I remember thinking that in a couple of years I could
be fighting to be window dressing in a panty-hose ad or atmosphere in a
dog-food commercial. I called my agent and said we'd better talk." (McCall's, August 1983)
About playing a sophisticated couple with Pierce Brosnan:
"The
production people kept saying we were supposed to be a sophisticated
couple like Myrna Loy and William Powell, and they'd show us scenes
from The Thin Man. Pierce and I were freckle-faced kids. And very
nervous. We used to go across the street to a little pub and sit and
wonder just what we'd gotten ourselves into." (McCall's, August 1983)
Sources : Pierce Brosnan Files & The Remington Steele Fan Page
