Pierce Brosnan’s time as Bond is considered by many to be among the worst portrayals of 007. Sounds harsh, but following icons like Roger Moore and Sean Connery was never going to be easy. Now, Brosnan has admitted that he regrets his performances as the British super spy. 

Pierce BrosnanBrosnan doesn't look back on his Bond days fondly

"I felt I was caught in a time warp between Roger [Moore] and Sean [Connery]," explained Brosnan in an interview with The Daily Telegraph. "It was a very hard one to grasp the meaning of, for me. The violence was never real, the brute force of the man was never palpable. It was quite tame, and the characterisation didn't have a follow-through of reality, it was surface. But then that might have had to do with my own insecurities in playing him as well."

Brosnon played Bond four times: 1997’s Tomorrow Never Dies, 1999's The World is not Enough, 1995's Goldeneye and 2002's Die Another Day. But the star can’t face watching himself as Ian Flemming’s creation, who is now portrayed by Daniel Craig to huge critical acclaim. "I have no desire to watch myself as James Bond. 'Cause it's just never good enough. It's a horrible feeling," he added. 

The last Bond film, Skyfall, saw Craig pit his wits against Javier Bardem who played a formidable Bond villain. Sam Mendes’ take on the franchise proved to be a huge fiscal success, pulling in over $1b from the global box office, and was even – for a short while at least – rumoured to be in line for a major Oscar nomination. 

Bond 24 – which is also being helmed by Mendes – has allegedly enlisted Penelope Cruz to play the iconic Bond girl. A source stold The Sun: “Bond bosses have been chasing her since Daniel became 007 in 2006. But schedules and her pregnancies meant it never materialised. At this stage no one at Sony will confirm it.”

More: Is Idris Elba already the next James Bond?

Watch Pierce in the trailer for his new film, The Love Punch