- Brosnan supports Murphy for Bond
- Murphy focuses on Oscars
- Baneham jokes about Brosnan
Former James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan has remarked that Oscar nominee and fellow Irishman Cillian Murphy would make a “magnificent” 007 incarnation.
“Cillian would do a magnificent job as James Bond on His Majesty’s Secret Service,” according to Brosnan.
Reports indicate Murphy may be in the running for the role of James Bond, although speculation has always surrounded the subject.
Brosnan spoke at the annual Oscar Wilde Awards in Los Angeles, which honors Irish creative talent.
Murphy, whose titular role in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer also garnered his attendance at the event hosted by JJ Abrams’s Bad Robot Productions in Santa Monica, is the heavy favorite to win best actor at the 96th Oscar Awards on Sunday.
He stated that he was unaware of the Bond allegations and disclosed that he had not given much thought to the possibility of winning an Academy Award. “I just want to go in and have a good time.”
Jeffrey Wright (American Fiction), Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers), Colman Domingo (Rustin), and Bradley Cooper (Maestro) are his opponents.
Murphy also discussed his 16-year-old son Aran, who is debuting in the film Klara And The Sun, directed by Taika Waititi.
On the green carpet with an Irish motif, he told reporters, “I am extremely proud of him; he is an outstanding actor,” adding that Aran did not require his father’s counsel.
Brosnan described receiving the Oscar Wilde for his contributions to the film and television industries as “hugely honored.”
He stated that he immigrated to the United States in 1982 “on a whim and a prayer… and then landed a job [on the drama series Remington Steele]” after praising the “kinship” between Ireland and America.
Regarding the abundance of talent in his native land, he told the BBC, “We originate from a poetic landscape; they are master storytellers.”
Richie Baneham, an Irish visual effects supervisor, and Molly Shannon, an Irish-American actress and comedian, were the other recipients this year.
Shannon rose to prominence in the 1990s by hosting Saturday Night Live (SNL) and expressed profound affection, stating, “I feel a strong bond with Ireland.”
Baneham, who has won two Oscars, jested: “People keep telling me that James Bond (Brosnan) is overshadowing me, but in all honesty, I recognize him as Remington Steele.”
Baneham received his first Academy Award for best visual effects for the 2009 film Avatar and then won again in the same category for the highly anticipated sequel Avatar: The Way of Water the following year. James Cameron, the director of both films, bestowed Baneham with his honor.
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Additionally, Baneham is developing the third Avatar film, scheduled for release in December 2025.
He stated that Godzilla Minus One, the visual effects nominee, had a “soft spot” in his heart “because it’s such a small film.
“It’s a monumental undertaking; Oppenheimer is a beast of a film,” he said, adding, “It’s my sincere hope that Cillian does exceptionally well in it (on Sunday).”
However, what was his top tip? “Poor Things truly succeeds. In terms of the film industry, it is a breath of new air.”
The film has a significant Irish presence: Irish producers Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe of Element Pictures, heroine Emma Stone, and director Yorgos Lanthimos are involved.
It is the most nominated film in Irish history for an Oscar, with eleven.
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