"The Matador" follows globetrotting hitman Julian Noble as he goes from job to job to job, managing to stay away from any personal relationships until he discovers himself alone and in need of some friendly conversation on his birthday. A random encounter with a Denver businessman in a hotel bar in Mexico City transforms into a life-changing experience for both men.
Pierce Brosnan on Why “The Matador” Grabbed His Attention: “I thought it was very play-like and I liked that it was a kind of ensemble of three people. I love the twists and turns and the flamboyance, the sheer vulgarian way of Julian Noble’s mouth. I thought it had good character, and I thought it had good heart. I thought you enter into this heightened theatrical world where most hit men in movies leave off, we start. It just made me laugh.”
Pierce Brosnan Shows a Whole Lot of Flesh in “The Matador:” In one of the most memorable scenes in “The Matador,” Brosnan struts through a hotel lobby clad only in his underwear and boots. Brosnan fondly recalls that particular scene. “It was the lobby of the hotel that we were living in, for god’s sake. All these men and women would see me every day and say, ‘Buenos Dias, Buenos Noches, Mr. Brosnan,’ or ‘Mr. Bond.’ I never escape him. So the day we came to do the scene, I had a bathrobe on and as I was getting ready. I had the old knickers on and I thought, ‘Well, I’ll keep the boots on as well because they just look so funny. They look so silly with my skinny legs hanging out.’ And my partner, Beaumarie St. Clair, she said, ‘Well now, you could keep the dressing gown on if you want or maybe pajama bottoms.’ I said, ‘No. Train’s left the station. This is too good. It’s a great piece of shtick.’ There’s many ways of looking at it.”
Pierce Brosnan Says There’s a Little Bit of Him in Every Character He Plays: Brosnan says he has only himself to rely on, therefore there’s a little of him in every single role he takes on. Even though Julian is so different from the type of guys Brosnan usually plays, there’s still something of the actor on screen in “The Matador.” “I’m an actor so my job is to act. Sometimes I haven’t been given much to act with but nevertheless I’ve gotten by. Richard Shepard came bearing gifts with this piece. He sent this as a writing sample for ‘Thomas Crown 2,’ technically ‘3,’ which we’re trying to do. I just fell in love with it. I thought this is great.”
Pierce Brosnan on His Character’s Unsavoriness: “Well, he’s a lovable scumbag. That’s the razor’s edge of black comedy, dark comedy, whatever you want to call it. You’re constantly pushing the audience away, bringing them in, pushing them away. Making them feel comfortable, uncomfortable. Hopefully you don’t lose them.”
Pierce Brosnan Doesn’t View “The Matador” as His Anti-Bond Piece: “I thought it was a perfect piece. I thought it was a wonderful, quirky, could be hip, cool, independent movie with a bunch of actors who you really admire and respect. And when we said, ‘Let’s go do it,’ we had a play reading - like we do with all of our pictures - and Hope Davis was there. It was incredible working opposite her, and then Greg Kinnear came on board. Then we had a movie. I wasn’t trying to do anti-Bond. I was just trying to honor the piece that Richard Shepard had written.”
While “The Matador” may not be in any way, shape or form about leaving Bond behind, there is a scene in the film which appears to be a nod to Brosnan’s role as the super suave spy. When Brosnan's character Julian sits at a bar and orders a margarita, the camera lingers on the bartender shaking the drink for a few beats more than you’d expect. Asked if that was done on purpose, Brosnan said, “It was there. It was in the script. Of course, the symbolism of it did not go unnoticed. None of it has gone unnoticed. You’re fully cognizant of what you’re doing. Especially when you’ve played the same role, created an image for yourself whether it be Thomas Crown or Remington Steele or James Bond. You’re aware of how you’re perceived and the image you’ve painted yourself into a corner with.
I was looking and wondering when and how and what shape and form the character would come along that would kind of just jump your career in another direction. Or, if you want to call it, break the mold. You have to have patience. If I didn’t have this company of my own, I don't think someone else would have come and offered me this role of Julian Noble. I wouldn’t have been at the top of the list. That’s the great [thing and one of] the benefits of having played Bond and having seen other men go down that road over the years. I wanted to come away with a bit more. I wanted to create a career for myself that’s hopefully going to keep going.”
