Pierce Brosnan has a clear view of what it takes to work as an actor: you have to let yourself feel. The 73-year-old Irish-born star, who defined James Bond for a generation in the 1990s and 2000s, has been reflecting on his craft in a new conversation with Interview magazine. He says that being aware and present within yourself, and allowing the emotions to come, is the foundation of the job. As he describes it, acting is a constant cycle of constructing and destroying a part of yourself in order to become the character, investigating who you are and placing yourself in a particular moment in time.

Brosnan is just as candid about the role that made him a global name. He acknowledges that Bond changed his life and that he remains instantly identifiable with the character all these years later. Rather than resisting that, he calls it the gift that keeps giving, crediting the franchise with the career he has today and with leading him to roles like the one in his latest project, MOBLAND. His advice is to make peace with the association, embrace it and celebrate it, then look for work that truly pushes you.

MOBLAND is a good example of that approach. The crime drama brings Brosnan together with Tom Hardy, Mandeep Dhillon and Dame Helen Mirren, a cast that shows how far he has moved beyond the tuxedo while still carrying the screen presence that made him a star. For fans of Irish talent on the world stage, it is a reminder that longevity comes from honesty, openness and a willingness to keep challenging yourself.