Rosamund Pike has never been afraid of putting her foot down when it matters.
When the actress sat down for a chat with Harper’s Bazaar UK, she discussed what it was like to play Miranda Frost in the 2002 James Bond Movie D–e Another Day.
One particular moment in the audition stood out for her as they asked her to strip down to her underwear — when the then 21-year-old hadn’t even been confirmed for the role.
Highlights
- Rosamund Pike was asked to strip down to underwear during her Bond Girl audition but refused.
- Pike felt mortified during a love scene with Pierce Brosnan, mistakenly thinking she was waxing his chest hair covered by body tape.
- In a 2003 play, Pike successfully negotiated to wear a dressing gown instead of full nudity, asserting her comfort boundaries.
Rosamund Pike dove deeper into the uncomfortable process of the Bond Girl auditions
Image credits: Mike Marsland/Getty Images
“In the Bond audition, I was asked to unzip and drop the dress I was wearing, to just stand there in underwear,” Pike recalled. “And I thought, ‘Well, no, I’ll be doing that if I get the part. I won’t be doing that now.’”
She added, “I don’t know what possessed me,” of her refusal.
Despite the disagreement, however, the 46-year-old went on to star as a Harvard grad and Olympic fencer in the action/adventure project.
But it seems as if the uncomfortable, or rather awkward, incidents bled into filming, as well.
Image credits: MGM Studios
Image credits: MGM Studios
During David Tennant’s podcast David Tennant Does a Podcast with, the actress gave a little insight into her horrifying moment trying to film an intimate love scene with Pierce Brosnan, who of course plays none other than James Bond himself.
The two were in the middle of a steamy scene together, filming on a swan sculpture bed “covered in furs” when Pike “discovered things like nipple covers, and all the taping.”
As PEOPLE reported, what happened next was a “sticky situation.”
Pike said there was one occurrence where she needed to stand and strip down to her underwear during the audition
“We have this clinch, and then we separate, and I look at his body tape and the nipple coverings and they’re covered in hair,” she said. “And I think, ‘Oh my God, I’m waxing Pierce’s chest.’”
She added, “I was so mortified. I thought, ‘Oh my God, he’s so brave, and I’m pulling off his chest hair with every embrace.’ And of course, it took a couple of takes to realize it was not him.
“It was the fake fur of the rugs adorning the swan’s bed. I literally thought I was waxing the poor man’s chest.”
Image credits: The Late Late Show with James Corden
The rest of the shoot, as described by the actress, was a breeze and even though there was a sizable age difference between her and Brosnan — she was 23 and the latter was 49 — she said the Irish actor was “an absolute gent” to work with.
Along with her positive experience with making the movie, Pike also seemed to find her own voice as an actress as the days progressed, never once being afraid of vocalizing whether or not she felt uncomfortable.
The actress was able to stand her ground and refused to strip
Image credits: davidtennantpod
Image credits: MGM Studios
While appearing in Hitchcock Blonde in London in 2003, there was a moment in the script where she was required to walk completely nude across the stage — a decision that, unsurprisingly, was challenging for her, given that she was only in her early 20s.
“There was a moment of: ‘F–ck, they’ve given me this absolute stellar part, but it involves nudity,’” she said while speaking on Audible Sessions. “I was taken for a very considerate, you might say, lunch by the director to say, ‘Are you aware of this?’”
She also recalled an awkward, albeit hilarious, moment whilst filming the movie
Image credits: MGM Studios
Image credits: MGM Studios
“They knew exactly what was on the table, which was a brilliant role in a fantastic new play.”
But Pike got the tide to turn as she managed to explain to the director that being completely bare wasn’t an essential decision and could be cut out.
Image credits: mspike
“After k–ling her husband, my character brings his body in and she’s meant to be n–ked,” the actress said. “I requested a dressing gown, which I got,” she chimed in, “I’ve usually spent my career being more clothed than was initially on the page.”
Comments slammed the audition process for the inappropriate request
