http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/01/01/PKGTCGCNDS1.DTL&type=moviesBrosnan was fired from the role in 2004 after four successful films, from "GoldenEye" in 1995 to "Die Another Day" in 2002. The Brosnan Bonds, which resurrected a franchise that had languished since 1983's "Octopussy," grossed $1.45 billion.
"There have been preposterous ideas that I was asking for $40 million and $30 million, which is not true," Brosnan says. "There was certainly a salary there that was not out of the ballpark, that other men and women have received for the same (type of film)."
Brosnan leans back a little farther in his chair.
"The phone just (rang) one day and negotiations stopped. To this day, I'm not sure why," he says. "I was terribly upset. It was a real body blow. I thought I'd made some good inroads with the character." So "The Matador" is his first post-Bond film, and also his first film as an American. Brosnan, an environmentalist and keen political observer, became a U.S. citizen in 2004.
"America embraced me 23 years ago when I got off the plane, and I embraced it right back. I have an American wife, American children," he says. "It's very simple, really. I wanted to vote. I wanted a voice. I'm frightened for the future, for my children. I'm concerned.
"But above all else, I'm hopeful," he adds. "You must keep the faith -- and keep a sense of humor."
