Irish America magazine - Oct/Nov '05 issue: Mo Mowlam, Eileen Collins, Changes in Irish America, 20 Great Interviews, 20 Moments In History, 20 Best Movies About Irish-Americans, Beer, Patrick Fitzgerald, Billy Bob Thornton

Since 1995, Irish actor Pierce Brosnan has been James Bond. He has played the role of 007 in four movies: Golden Eye (1995), Tomorrow Never Dies, (1997), The World Is Not Enough (1999), and Die Another Day (2002). However, via one phone call, Brosnan learned the producers did not want him to be James Bond anymore.

Brosnan told Entertainment Weekly that before the phone call and before they stopped negotiations, producers of the film series had asked him to play the role of the suave agent for a fifth time in Bond 21: Casino Royale.

When he first got the phone call, he was shocked, but later expressed a bit of relief that he will no longer be playing the role of James Bond.