USA: WORLD PREMIER OF 'THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR' STARRING PIERCE BROSNAN AND RENE RUSSO

Record ID: 386688

  • Title: USA: WORLD PREMIER OF 'THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR' STARRING PIERCE BROSNAN AND RENE RUSSO
  • Date: 24th July 1999
  • Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (JULY 24) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) (SOUNDBITE) (English) PIERCE BROSNAN SAYING OF THE ORIGINAL FILM, "It was one of those films that I saw when I was fifteen years of age, you know, it was my kind of introduction to the movies, that, and a whole pocket of other ones, you know, Clint Eastwood, "Bonnie and Clyde" and for me it ws, the movies were magic, and we checked it out and people had been talking about remakes and we checked out the movie, but, more importantly, there was a relationship there that I thought wasn't exploited or could be investigated or could be embellished on a little bit more and just leaned into a little bit more and we tried to make it as romantic as possible." (SOUNDBITE) (English) RENE RUSSO SAYING "I did go back and watch it but I didn't, they were so wonderful, Faye Dunaway and Steve McQueen were so great separately and what they did together was their own special magic that there's no way we could do that, so, I just hoped that when Pierce and I got together that we had enough on our own that we could create something different, but I did go back because I wanted to know how the story had changed, the plot and the ending and things like that, so, I did it for that reason."
  • Embargoed: 8th August 1999 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES AND FILM LOCATIONS
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVA67MDNJDFCQWJVD0JQIB9VS57I
  • Story Text: Taking a brief but not necessarily unrelated break from James Bond, Pierce Brosnan plays a charming, wealthy, suave gentleman with a taste for high-profile art heists in the new remake of the classic Steve McQueen film "The Thomas Crown Affair." Brosnan and his co-star Rene Russo attended the film's World Premiere in Los Angeles on Tuesday (July 27).
    In addition to playing the lead role of Thomas Crown, Brosnan also acted as a producer for the film, making it the first big budget Hollywood studio effort to come out of his production company, Irish Dream Time Productions.Brosnan was instrumental in getting the rights to remake the 1968 version, which paired McQueen with Faye Dunaway and was directed by Norman Jewison.
    In this updating, Brosnan plays Thomas Crown, a self-made billionaire who can buy anything he wants and is irresistible to woman, but finds himself having run out of challenges.So he undertakes the most logical next step in his career, he attempts and pulls off the perfect art heist of a priceless Monet.
    But one person suspects him: Catherine Banning, the brilliant investigator hired to retrieve the painting no matter what it takes.As played by Rene Russo, Catherine loves the chase as much as Crown does, but soon their feelings for each other get in the way.
    Director John McTiernan, who is better known for his big budget action movies like "Die Hard" and "The Hunt for Red October," has updated this film by upping the glamour and wealth, strengthening the flirtatious and sexually charged relationship between the two lead characters, and adding a healthy dose of explicit sex.
    Both Brosnan and Russo admit the sex scenes were difficult to film, but with the help of some champagne, a good sense of humour and two barely-concealing g-strings, they were able to get through the experience unscathed.The light touch Brosnan provided on set may hint at the direction he'd like to take.
    "I think the next thing I'm hungry for is to do a kind of romantic comedy," the current 007 told Reuters at the premiere.
    In a nod to the original, Brosnan and McTiernan were able to talk one of the film's original stars, Faye Dunaway to take a cameo in this version, playing Crown's therapist in the opening scenes of the film.
    Brosnan was also able to talk his good friend Sting into recording a remake of "Windmills of Your Mind" for the film.
    The original version appeared in the 1968 original and went on to win an Oscar for Best Song.It won't be released as a single or on the film's soundtrack, it was simply a favour Sting was glad to do for Brosnan.
    The new "Thomas Crown" also stars Dennis Leary as a cop on Crown's case, Ben Gazzara as Crown's wily attorney, and Frankie Faison as Leary's partner.Supermodel Esther Canadas makes a cameo appearance as one of Crown's many lady friends.
    The new version of "The Thomas Crown Affair" opens in theatres throughout the United States on Friday, August 6.
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