By Sean Chavel in Los Angeles

Pierce Brosnan has returned to the screen but not as James Bond. He has done a romantic comedy with Julianne Moore called "Laws of Attraction." It’s a story of boy meets girl in courtroom, inevitable disputes, and then boy makes claim for girl outside of courtroom. Brosnan was in Los Angeles recently to discuss the film and his career.

Q: How is everything, Pierce?

PIERCE: Life is good, yes.

Q: Was it your decision to move the movie to Ireland. I heard that it was originally set in Los Angeles and they had an island in Barbados that they were going to?

PIERCE: It wasn’t my decision to go to Ireland, no. It came out in one of the initial meetings in the early days of making this film. Because of monetary reasons, you get more bang for your buck if you go to Ireland which I thought was a ludicrous idea. I wanted to make this in New York because I love New York. I had done "Thomas Crown" in New York. Which was kind of like a bookend. But having said that, I was deeply proud that we went to Ireland. Because our company is called Irish Dreamtime. That we seemed to have pulled it off with the short time we had in New York, the studio work and the locations we had in and around Dublin.

The story always had the couple going to – it originally had them going off to an island. And then we made in Ireland. And then someone said we shoot the whole thing in Ireland.

Q: Is it tough to make a good romantic comedy these days?

PIERCE: Yes. It is tough. This is a romantic comedy for adults made by adults which they don’t seem to make anymore. In the old days, they made movies for adults and for the populace; the man and the woman that wanted to have romance in their lives. Now it’s just romance for teenagers. Which is great up to a point but it becomes a yawn for the vast audience out there that want to go to the movies on Friday night. Romantic comedies are tricky to pull off because the audience knows going in that this man and woman are going to come together. But technically, theatrically it’s the obstacles that are put in their way that makes for the drama and the conflict. And how good are those obstacles, how inventive, how challenging are they for the actors and for the story. This is the first one that I’ve ever attempted because I have wanted to make one for a long time. I did "Remington Steele" years ago and I have had a yearning to do one ever since. This was material that found us and we said, ‘Let’s hang our hat on this one.’ It was more cynical. It had more cynicism in it, in the earlier drafts. For me, it didn’t have heart and that was the big complaint. We finally found heart in the piece from [director] Peter Howitt who is an actor, a director and a writer. And it’s in the film that you saw last night.

Q: How much beer did you actually have to consume for those drinking scenes?

PIERCE: [Laughs] Um, I had a good morning! There was no acting required. [Beat] I didn’t drink the whole pint. I mean, this is… if I drank three pints straight down I wouldn’t be able to work for the rest of the day.

Q: How about the chemistry between you and Julianne Moore? What was it like working opposite of her?

PIERCE: Wonderful. She is one of America’s finest actresses of the moment. A most beautiful lady, and someone who has a head squarely on her shoulders. Beautifully on her shoulders is a better way of putting it. I admired her work. I wanted to make a movie about a man and a woman. And she’s every bit a woman. A beautiful woman. A woman who has a great sense of independence to her as an actress within this role.

Q: Did you know Julianne before?

PIERCE: No, I didn’t. Uh, we met briefly at some party at the Statue of Liberty island, or Statten Island or whatever it is called. What was that magazine that Harvey [Weinsten] had?

Q: It was Talk?

PIERCE: Yes, we met at Talk. But no, we didn’t know each other. What can we say? It was one of best summers of my life making this film in Ireland with this beautiful actress in the company of these wonderful people. And trying to pay homage to the romantic comedies of the 1940’s and to try to make a movie that at heart was entertaining.

Q: Who were your screen idols growing up, especially in the aspects of romantic comedy?

PIERCE: Well, I really didn’t come to the realization of what romantic comedies were until I was in my late teens. Early twenties, really. My teenage years – Clint Eastwood, Steve McQueen, Warren Beatty. They were my cinematic heroes. It wasn’t until I came to America when I was 26 to do "Remington Steele." Bob Butler was executive producer, director, and creator of Remington Steele and he said that we are doing an old-fashioned romantic comedy. And I began to investigate and look closely at the Cary Grant movies. Spencer Tracy. He was a name that I grew up with because my grandfather loved Spencer Tracy movies. By that time, I was a mature actor. I realized how brilliant they were. With such a ferocious pace of dialogue. That was my first encounter. Going back to Bob Butler, he said this is what we’re making. I swam in those waters for many weeks prior to shooting "Remington Steele." An English actor plays with a lot more pace compared to the American rhythms. And that was the seat of romantic comedies for me, that’s where it began.

Q: On the set of "After the Sunset," Brett Ratner said that you originally approached him to do a Bond film. Could you talk a little bit about that? And about your shoot?

PIERCE: Actually, we still have some outstanding scenes come June between Selma [Hayek] and myself. Brett was somebody who came onto the stage with great presence and hubris passion and technique. He has a joy with the movies that he’s made with "Money Talks," "Rush Hour" and "Rush Hour 2." I went to visit him when he was doing "Rush Hour 2" in Vegas to see if he wanted to do Bond. I went to those people who did the Bond movies and they just didn’t want to know him. It just didn’t work out. [Pause] I was involved with this movie "After the Sunset "I liked it because it was a caper, heist movie, a love story; I had good success with "Thomas Crown." Not that this is anything like "Thomas Crown." But, a jewel thief? Let’s go into these waters again. And then Brett Ratner came up. It wasn’t my suggestion, but –

Q: He thought it was your responsibility for bringing him to that production?

PIERCE: No, I wasn’t. Well, his name was suggested to me. Brett Ratner? Sure, absolutely. No question. The piece was certainly elevated at a greater level because of his enthusiasm. The guy has talent. The guy has the Midas touch. He carries it around with it. Long may it last. It takes ferocious energy to keep it alive. He has the talent, the passion, the wits.

Q: It seemed like it was a fun set?

PIERCE: It always is. ‘How is that scene?’ or ‘How was that, Brett? Is that okay?’ He’s over there with six models, talking up the phone. Ripping up a storm in front of the camera.

Q: You have a mustache right now. Is that mustache for another project or is it a personal choice?

PIERCE: We are going to make another film next month in Mexico City called "The Matador." It’s a black comedy with Greg Kinnear, Hope Davis and myself. It’s about a hitman having a nervous breakdown.

Q: Are you the hitman?

PIERCE: Yes, I’m the hitman. Greg Kinnear is kind of a mild-mannered businessman from the Midwest who has had kind of a bad run of luck. He meets Judy who is a rather sick sort of person. Kind of lucky.

Q: Where does the new Bond film stand right now?

PIERCE: It doesn’t stand anywhere. I don’t know what’s happening. There’s a paralysis that has come upon the producers. They don’t know whether to go forwards, backwards, sideways – I don’t know. As far as I’m concerned, I’ve honored my contract of doing four [Bond] movies. They know where to find me if they want me for the fifth.

Q: Is there someone else do you think that could be the next Bond?

PIERCE: Oh, there will always be someone else. If I was the fifth [Bond], there can always be a sixth.

Q: Is there another actor you think they will go with?

PIERCE: Yeah, I mean they’ve talked to Hugh Jackman and to Clive Owen – both actors are really fantastic and have the chops for it. I have no idea. I really don’t concern myself. I don’t lose sleep over it. I don’t wake up thinking, you know, ‘Am I going to be the next Bond?’ or ‘Is someone else going to be the next Bond.’ I have to let that one go, I really wouldn’t do myself any justice if I would lose sleep over it. If it’s the end of the ride, then so be it. I can move on and make films like "Evelyn," "Thomas Crown," or this movie… The movie has put me on a landscape on an international level, and for an actor, that’s a magnificent gift to have.

Q: What do you like to do with your family?

PIERCE: We just came back from a camping trip with the boys. We saw the whales. We live in Hawaii now. We go camping, hiking there. We paint. Skateboarding. I don’t skateboard. They skateboard [Laughs] Biking. Kayaking.

Q: Outdoors stuff?

PIERCE: Yes, well we live near the ocean. We live in Malibu and Hawaii.

Q: What do you love about New York?

PIERCE: I just love New York. The romance of the city. The vibe of the city. I always feel like an actor when I’m in New York. I always feel like an actor when I’m in London. When I’m in the L.A. I don’t know what I become, it’s just really crazy. There’s this stimulus in New York which is really visceral. It’s on the street. It’s the art galleries. It’s the bars here and there. There’s so many aspects. Walking across the park. There’s a sense of danger to it. There’s a sense of life. It’s sexy. It’s one of those… It’s America to me. It was the first city for me. I came to America twenty-four years ago.

"Laws of Attraction" opens in theaters this Friday.