Pierce Brosnan looks worlds away from Bond role in unrecognizable new appearance

Pierce Brosnan has taken on a very different style for his movie, Giant, and he looks almost unrecognizable in the new trailer released on Friday.

The 72-year-old ditched his luscious head of hair to play Irish boxing trainer, Brendan Ingle, in the movie about legendary British-Yemeni boxing champion ‘Prince’ Naseem ‘Naz’ Hamed.

In the new trailer, Pierce looks worlds away from his days as James Bond, sporting a bald cap, thinning white hair, and a prosthetic nose.

Giant, which is executive-produced by Sylvester Stallone, is based on the remarkable true story of Naseem and his relationship with Brendan and charts his “inspiring rags-to-riches underdog tale from his humble beginnings in Sheffield to becoming champion of the world,” an official synopsis reads.

“With his unorthodox style, cocky persona and sheer dominance of the sport, Naseem faced down the abhorrent racism and islamophobia that swept Britain in the ’80s and ’90s, to become a global sporting icon, both inside and outside of the ring,” the synopsis adds.

“The film explores the unlikely and tender relationship between Naz and his trainer Ingle – a steel industry worker who ran a humble boxing gym in a church hall in the North of England; and the instrumental role that Ingle played on Naz’s road to success,” the synopsis continues.

“With exhilarating and visceral scenes in the ring, coupled with deeply moving and intimate moments behind the curtain, Giant is an inspiring biopic of one of the greatest showmen the sporting world has even seen – the untold true story of the boy behind The Prince.”

Giant, released in select theaters and available on video on demand on May 22,  also stars Amir El-Masry, who portrays Naseem as a young adult, as well as Katherine Dow Blyton, Ali Saleh, Ghaith Saleh, and Toby Stephens.

© Sam Talor

Naseem, now 52, dominated the ring from 1992 to 2002, with a record of 36 wins and one loss (against Marco Antonio Barrera in 2001), with 31 wins by knockout. He held multiple featherweight world championships between 1995 and 2000 and reigned as lineal champion from 1998 to 2001.

The real-life Brendan, who competed as a professional middleweight boxer and at one point ranked the eighth best boxer in the UK, according to the BBC, died in 2018 of a brain hemorrhage at age 77.

During his career, he trained three other world champions: Johnny Nelson, Junior Witter, and Kell Brook.

© Instagram

In 1998, he was made a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for his contribution to boxing in England and his mentorship of young people in Sheffield.

Fans first got a look at Pierce in the role in 2024 when he was spotted on set wearing a blue tracksuit, a thin pair of glasses, and his white hair in a combover.

© Sam Talor

Pierce’s transformation was so dramatic that his own co-stars struggled to recognise him when they arrived on set.

“A lot of my scenes are with him when he’s wearing all these prosthetics to make him look older. We were filming the end of the film before the start, and he really didn’t look like himself,” Olivia Barrowclough, who plays journalist Vicki Quinn, told HELLO! in January.