Why Black Adam’s Doctor Fate “Felt Like a Good Fit” for Pierce Brosnan After James Bond

The chance to speak to a Hollywood icon like Pierce Brosnan is a rare one, but we were lucky enough to do just that in an exclusive chat about his role in Black Adam. Playing Doctor Fate marks Brosnan’s entry into the superhero movie world and it’s long overdue.

Brosnan reveals he’s a lifelong comic book fan who couldn’t be happier to be a part of the epic and potentially game changing DC movie, especially in a role as important as Doctor Fate. Here’s what we had to say about the upcoming blockbuster…

How are you feeling about Black Adam and making your debut as Doctor Fate?

PIERCE BROSNAN: I’m so excited about this film. I’ve actually never been so excited about something. I had such a great time making it with Dwayne and my compatriots.

Were you a comic book fan before making Black Adam?

I am! I grew up in Ireland, and there was one comic book that my mother would send me all the time, and that was Dan Dare. So began my comic-book life, I suppose. I wasn’t really aware of Black Adam, [at the time].

Doctor Fate found me at a good point in my life; having traversed the world of James Bond and having been at the table as long as I have, it felt like a good fit. And Jaume [Collet-Serra] is such a collaborative director—he made me very comfortable and gave me the confidence to portray Doctor Fate. Down to the design of the helmet, I was a participant, so it was an education for me to find out this character was so loved and one of the oldest heroes in the pantheon of comic books.

As a lover of comics, what was it like to step into your first superhero role?

It was a joy to play. You can get overwhelmed by trying to take on this universe. But you let all that go, and you play the humanity of the man who’s burdened with the beauty and the curse of this helmet. He’s shackled to this relic that wields so much power, he’s subservient to it. He tries to live his life with this beautiful trauma of seeing the future of what can happen to humankind. As an actor, if you go to the most human level of compassion, you release yourself from the technical aspects of it and leave it to the audience’s imagination. 

You mentioned your “compatriots.” What was it like to work alongside your JSA teammates?

They have become dear cherished friends. Watching them, I was a member of the audience. I was bewitched by moviemaking. The sweet innocence of Cyclone, the erudite life that Quintessa has, mixed with the jovial charisma and big puppy dog energy of Noah. Then the commanding presence of Hawkman: my oldest friend, my commander, my leader.

Read more about Black Adam in our exclusive cover story here.