TODAY (7:00 AM ET)
Denise Richards
Friday, November 19, 1999
GOOD MORNING AMERICA (7:00 AM ET)
Pierce Brosnan
Monday, November 22, 1999
TODAY (7:00 AM ET)
Critics Corner: Review
November 24, 1999
GOOD MORNING AMERICA
Denise Richards
JOEL SIEGEL, Reporting
The world's most famous secret agent, James Bond, always gets his way. But in real life, actor Pierce Brosnan has had to endure his share of hardships. ABC's Elizabeth Vargas talks to him about his life and his loves. But we begin, as all great Bond films do, with an opening stunt. This is from "The World Is Not Enough," opening today.
(Clip shown from the shooting of "The World Is Not Enough")
ELIZABETH VARGAS reporting:
(VO)Is that ever scary? Do you ever think halfway through that, 'What was I thinking?'
Mr. PIERCE BROSNAN: Mm-hmm. There have been times, yes. In this particular film, Bond jumps on these--the bomb is ticking and is about to blow, and he jumps on these chains and he goes down this tunnel. And I said, 'Let me just see what the stunt double had done,' because they'd done a few shots with him.
VARGAS: (VO)Right.
Mr. BROSNAN: And so I went over just to see what he'd done and he was coming down and the flames were huge. And just as he got to the end, the flames licked up his back and his hair went on fire.
VARGAS: Oh, great.
Mr. BROSNAN: But you are James Bond and you can't lose...
VARGAS: Oh, come on. You can say 'I don't want to do that.'
Mr. BROSNAN: You can't say it, no. Because the guys are standing there, and you've got to be...
VARGAS: 'You know, I really am the macho secret agent.'
Mr. BROSNAN: Yeah. The ambulance is standing there and you look to the left and the fire marshal is standing there and fire hoses all--all the way down the tunnel just in case it blows. And you go for action and...
VARGAS: (VO)Another day at the office.
Mr. BROSNAN: (VO)Another day at the office.
VARGAS: While you were shooting this movie in London, I read that you gave some really valuable to support to a great organization called Gilda's Club.
Mr. BROSNAN: Mm-hmm. I wish there were such places when, you know, my late wife, Cassie, was sick with her illness. And they're places for men and women and families to go--who are suffering from cancer--to go and kind of shut the door on the rest of the world and--and enjoy each other's company. Because when you get this disease, it--you have to learn a whole new language about living, to watch your wife, your partner in life, suffer through cancer, ovarian cancer. And Cassie and Gilda Radner became good friends during their illnesses.
VARGAS: It really affects the whole family, doesn't it?
Mr. BROSNAN: Oh, deeply. Deeply.
(VO)And you're left with--with the scars and the wounds that have to be healed and a family that has to be redefined again and built up again.
VARGAS: (VO)Brosnan recently announced that he is engaged to television reporter Keely Shaye Smith. The two have a child, Dylan, now three years old.
Mr. BROSNAN: It's now time to kind of say, 'Let's go out there, in the eyes of God and the world, you know, be wedded.'
VARGAS: How do your children from your first marriage to Cassie feel about Keely and your new marriage?
Mr. BROSNAN: They've been wonderfully supportive of our love and our friendship and our life together.
VARGAS: Do you ever think that what you've been able to achieve with your family, other people looking in might say, 'In Hollywood, that's a relative rarity'?
Mr. BROSNAN: I suppose so, yes. I never feel like I've--I've been part of this town. I came for a two-week vacation and ended up staying 18 years.
VARGAS: Cassie really had to convince you that this was a good idea to come to Los Angeles.
Mr. BROSNAN: Fortunately, I listened to--to that good woman and came and had a life. And, you know, lucky for me that I found another good woman in my life and someone who's supportive of--of--of-of my work and who I am as a man and my family. And likewise me of her.
WALTERS: Here we are, 008. Yeah, Joel is on--Joel Siegel. Well, is the new ballyhooed version of the Headless Horseman a no-brainer? Joel Siegel will review "Sleepy Hollow," when GOOD MORNING AMERICA continues.
JOEL SIEGEL reporting:
That's a great line.
WALTERS: Yeah. It was your line.
SIEGEL: Oh, no wonder.
TODAY (7:00 AM ET)
November 22, 1999, Monday
GENE SHALIT, reporting
Pierce Brosnan and Denise Richards star in the new James Bond movie, "The World is Not Enough." It was number one at the box office this past weekend. But according to our own Gene Shalit, forget the world, this story may not be enough.
GENE SHALIT reporting:
Good morning and welcome to the CRITIC'S CORNER. The new James Bond movie is a romp for stuntmen and a fling of special effects. Explosions, wacky weapons, a speedboat chase, an evil woman, flashy music, ear-shattering noise, and that's before the picture begins.
(Clip shown from "The World is Not Enough")
SHALIT: Again Pierce Brosnan is Bond, and he's a good Bond, James Bond. And he's determined to uncover a plot. And if he could find a plot, I wish he'd give it to this movie. If there is a story here, I didn't notice it. But there is activity, an erupting oil pipeline in Russia, millions of dollars in currency bursting into flames, a credit card that unlocks doors. That card will generate a lot of interest. And a girl who is named Christmas just to set up a movie ending wisecrack.
(Clip shown from "The World is Not Enough")
SHALIT: She is an atomic scientist and she is played by a miscast Denise Richards. Atomic scientist she ain't. The jokes are flat. The Bond girls have been robbed of their sexual teasiness. And most disappointing, there is no villain to speak of.
(Clip shown from "The World is Not Enough")
SHALIT: Compared with the saucy, well-plotted early Bond movies, "The World is Not Enough" is not enough; 007 is a license to kill, but most of what this movie kills is time. As for ticket price, on a scale of $ 10 tops, my suggested ticket price to see this movie is $ 3.80.
And that's the CRITIC'S CORNER for this morning. Where's a million.
JOEL SIEGEL, reporting
Whoo, skycam. Wow! We work like in a stadium in here. So what movies are worth going to this holiday weekend? Our entertainment editor Joel Siegel is here with reviews of "Toy Story 2," "End of Days," "Flawless," and "The World Is Not Enough," which has already set a record as the biggest opening for a James Bond film ever, right?
JOEL SIEGEL reporting:
It has indeed, but there are two reasons, I think, the Bond film did so well. One, the star power of Pierce Brosnan and great marketing from the studio. It's the only action film out there--or was. I've got two coming this--today that are just better movies. I am a Bond fan, but "The World Is Not Enough" puts the oh-oh back in 007.
(Clips shown from "The World is Not Enough")
SIEGEL: On the sea, in the air, on the land, yes, "The World Is Not Enough" has its moments, the problem is we've seen them all before. We've seen Bond on skis, we've seen Bond in flames, we've seen Bond defusing nuclear devices. Denise Richard in a Hollywood tradition that goes back four decades is the latest in a long line of Bond girls who can't act. She's supposed to be a PhD in nuclear physics. So that's what the "T" in MIT stands for. Who knew?
Ms. DENISE RICHARDS: (Clip from "The World is Not Enough") And don't make any jokes. I've heard them all.
SIEGEL: Oh, yeah, did you hear the one about "The World Is Not Enough" and neither is the movie? 007 gets an 004.
(Clips shown from "End of Days")
SIEGEL: Much better action in "End of Days" where the world is just enough for the devil who has to meet his mate before midnight January 1, 2000, and only Arnold can stop him, or it's "Hasta la vista" world as we know it. If you're waiting for me to say "End of Days," I couldn't wait until the end of the movie, unh-unh.
The mix of million-dollar effects and 20 cent theology is silly but fun, and leave it to Arnold to give the devil his due. No "D" for devil, give it a "B" for Beezlebub.
Denise Richards was the star of this year's dark comedy "Drop Dead Gorgeous." Now she gets to do some wild things with Pierce Brosnan.
(Clip shown from "The World Is Not Enough)
LAUER: Denise Richards stars in the new Bond movie "The World Is Not Enough." It opens tomorrow in theaters nationwide.
Denise, great to have you here. Welcome.
Ms. DENISE RICHARDS ("The World Is Not Enough"): Thank you.
LAUER: How does the term "Bond girl" sound to you?
Ms. RICHARDS: I'm excited about it. It's flattering to be a part of the history of Bond. It's the 19th film, and a lot of wonderful women have been previous Bond girls.
LAUER: You mentioned wonderful women. I saw a photo shoot--was it for Vanity Fair magazine?
Ms. RICHARDS: Vanity Fair did a photo shoot with four decades of Bond girls. So...
LAUER: And you were all together for this photo shoot. What was it like to meet all of them?
Ms. RICHARDS: It was so exciting. It starts with Ursula Andress and then down to myself, and I got to meet her and Maud Adams, Jane Seymour. So, just to see them and to see the history of Bond was fascinating.
LAUER: I thought it was great and fascinating that you didn't grow up watching Bond movies. As a matter of fact, from what I read, the first Bond movie you ever saw was the first one that Pierce Brosnan starred in. Did you have any kind of desire though once you got the role to go back and look at some of the others?
Ms. RICHARDS: Yeah. I definitely went back and saw "Dr. No" and "Live and Let Die," "Diamonds Are Forever," as much as I could. And it's interesting to see, even back then, all the women were still very smart and clever, but they've also evolved over the years.
LAUER: Let's take a look at your role in this one, Dr. Christmas Jones. You play a nuclear scientist.
Ms. RICHARDS: Mm-hmm.
LAUER: In this scene with Pierce Brosnan, you are in a little bit of trouble in an oil pipeline.
(Clip shown from "The World Is Not Enough")
LAUER: There are a couple reasons this is an important role in your career. One is that Bond girls tend to carry that reputation for a while. Are you worried at all about being typecast as a Bond girl as you move on in your career?
Ms. RICHARDS: I'd be more worried about being typecast as a nuclear scientist. I don't know if I could say those words again. I had no reservations doing this. It was a wonderful opportunity for me to be, first of all, a part of the history. And Michael Apted, I'm a huge fan of his. He's a wonderful director, and I'm in great company with Pierce and Judi Dench and Sophie Marceau and Robert Carlisle, so I never had any reservations doing the film.
LAUER: This is also--and I hope this doesn't sound wrong, your first adult role. You've been playing more teen-age characters before this. Is it nice to make the step and--and move on to, quote, unquote, "womanhood"?
Ms. RICHARDS: It is, although I am flattered if people think I could play a teen-ager. But it is nice to, you know, step up and play a more mature role.
LAUER: You're one of these people, you're very careful about not divulging your age. It's never polite for a man to ask a woman her age anyway. But--but why are you so guarded about it? You--you just tell people you are 20-something.
Ms. RICHARDS: I say 20-something. I played 17 years old in "Drop Dead Gorgeous," and the perception and teen-age girls. So, you know, if I can--I'm flattered if people think I'm a teen-ager, and I'm clearly not. So...
LAUER: But, clearly, you would like to keep a sense of mystery around this.
Ms. RICHARDS: Whatever age anyone wants me to be.
LAUER: All right, I'm not going to let you leave here. You said you went back and looked back at some of the other Bond movies. Who's your favorite Bond?
Ms. RICHARDS: My favorite Bond.
LAUER: There have been a lot of actors who have played Bond over the years.
Ms. RICHARDS: There are.
LAUER: Who's your favorite?
Ms. RICHARDS: I will pick two. Pierce, obviously. I think he's...
LAUER: Because you--because you have to.
Ms. RICHARDS: No, he really is...
LAUER: You liked him, OK.
Ms. RICHARDS: ...even from day one, he is the most charming gentleman, and he's such a class act.
LAUER: And number two?
Ms. RICHARDS: And, of course, Sean Connery. I mean, he was Bond.
LAUER: Good choice. Denise Richards, the movie is called "The World Is Not Enough." Congratulations. Nice to have here.
Ms. RICHARDS: Thank you.
LAUER: Seven fifty-one. We're back on a Thursday morning, but, first, these messages.