Pierce Brosnan has come under fire from viewers for his portrayal of an Irish accent in the new TV series MobLand, with some critics even calling it “offensive.” Despite the fact that Brosnan was born and raised in Ireland, his performance as Conrad, the head of the Harrigan family, has sparked an online backlash from fans.
MobLand, an American crime drama created by Ronan Bennett and executive produced and directed by Guy Ritchie, premiered on Paramount Plus on March 30, with new episodes set to air weekly on Sundays. The show stars Tom Hardy, Helen Mirren, and Brosnan, and follows the intense rivalry between two powerful families – the Harrigans and the Stevensons. The narrative focuses on Hardy’s character, Harry Da Souza, who serves as the fixer for the Harrigan family.
While the series has received praise for its gripping storyline, Brosnan’s performance has raised eyebrows, particularly due to his Irish accent. Many viewers flocked to X (formerly Twitter) to express their frustration with his lilt, with some even questioning the authenticity of his portrayal.
“Watching the first episode of MobLand. Very good. Pierce Brosnan’s accent is horrific,” one viewer wrote.
“Enjoyed the first episode of MobLand. Aware that Pierce Brosnan is in fact Irish, but his Irish accent in this is a bit hit and miss,” another commented.
“Considering he’s Irish, Pierce Brosnan’s attempt at an Irish accent can only be described as offensive,” a third added.
Others were quick to describe his efforts as “over-exaggerated” and “awful,” with many unable to take his portrayal seriously due to the accent’s lack of consistency.
The Standard’s Maddy Mussen also joined in the criticism, highlighting the distraction caused by Brosnan’s accent. In her review, she wrote,
“His rogue Irish accent proves to be quite the distraction, and any real threat he poses is completely obscured by the way he insists on rolling his r’s with each sentence.”
Brosnan, 71, was born in Drogheda, County Louth, and grew up in Navan, County Meath until the age of 12 before moving to Scotland with his mother and stepfather. Later, the family relocated to London. However, in recent years, Brosnan has acknowledged that his accent has become less distinctly Irish and more “somewhat Californian.”
In a recent interview with Dave Moore on Today FM, the actor opened up about the challenge of maintaining an Irish accent for his role. Brosnan explained that he raised concerns with Guy Ritchie, the show’s director, prior to filming.
“Last summer I spoke to Guy for the first time about it, and having read the five episodes, he said not to worry about it. ‘We’ll just do it 15 minutes on the day, clear your mind, we’ll sort it out, don’t worry about it.’”
However, despite Ritchie’s reassurance, Brosnan admitted he did worry about the accent, and when he arrived on set, his fears were confirmed.
“Five weeks later, I was on the set with Tom Hardy and Guy, first day, important dialogue, important information, and he just said, ‘More Irish, more Irish,’” Brosnan recalled.
He went on to explain that his accent had “dissipated into the midst of time,” and that he had even considered what kind of accent his character would have, eventually settling on a Kerry accent.
“It’s somewhat Californian and everything. So, I asked myself, ‘What kind of accent would he have?’ It was Kerry,” Brosnan added.
Despite the challenges, the actor remains optimistic, acknowledging that he gave it his best effort, even if the outcome wasn’t quite as expected.
As MobLand continues to air, it seems that Pierce Brosnan’s portrayal of an Irish accent will remain a talking point for viewers. The show, which stars some of Hollywood’s biggest names, is still gaining momentum, but Brosnan’s accent is likely to be the most memorable topic from the series’ first episode.
MobLand airs new episodes every Sunday on Paramount Plus.
