New MobLand Episodes: Pierce Brosnan’s Dark Side
In MobLand, Pierce Brosnan shows a side of himself we’ve rarely seen. Why playing Conrad Harrigan means so much to him – and what Helen Mirren promises for season two.
By Philip Dethlefs
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In the ’80s, TV audiences knew Pierce Brosnan as private eye Remington Steele. In the ’90s, James Bond made him a global star. But in Conrad Harrigan, the volatile, ageing crime boss in MobLand, the 73-year-old may well have found the role of his career. New episodes of the star-studded series, with Guy Ritchie on board, are now streaming on Paramount+ (from 18 September).
Brosnan Wanted to “Be an Actor Again”
He wanted to finally “be an actor again”, Brosnan says. He started out in theatre before becoming a TV and film star. “I developed this certain look and this style, and somehow I got a bit consumed by it,” the Irish-born actor says. “But it paid the rent. I could look after my family.”
What he means is this: although he played all sorts of parts, people mostly saw him as the handsome gentleman. As Conrad Harrigan he still looks good, but the character is far more complex and shows a dark side. The patriarch is unpredictable, ruthless, sometimes vile – and still charismatic. Brosnan is brilliant in the role. He walks the fine line between funny and menacing. Conrad is a man you love to watch but would never want as an enemy.
Mirren and Brosnan: A Dream (and Nightmare) Couple
Few roles have given him this much fun or this much room to play, Brosnan says. “That’s one of the reasons I wanted to do it. I wanted to work with Guy Ritchie, I wanted to work with Dame Helen, and I wanted to be in the company of actors who make me feel like an actor again.”
Oscar winner Helen Mirren (The Queen), who is superb as his scheming, manipulative wife Maeve, agrees. “There’s a difference between an actor and a film star,” the 81-year-old says in their joint interview. “And now you’re a wonderful mix of both.” The chemistry between Mirren and Brosnan is the beating heart of the show.
What MobLand Is About
Season one followed the power struggle between the Harrigans and the Stevensons, a rival crime family. At its centre is Tom Hardy as Harry Da Souza, the Harrigans’ loyal fixer. Harry has his hands full keeping the family together while his own marriage to Jan (Joanne Froggatt) falls apart. Because the Harrigans are anything but united – and the family keeps sinking to new lows.
Conrad becomes more and more irrational, which infuriates his son and heir apparent Kevin Harrigan (Paddy Considine). Maeve has her own plans for young Eddie Harrigan (Anson Boon), whose place in the family is up for debate. And Conrad’s ambitious daughter Seraphina (Mandeep Dhillon), born outside the marriage, is a thorn in Maeve’s side. While the Harrigans are busy with each other, more and more enemies smell blood. Things are about to boil over.
Mirren Promises “Even More Chaos” in Season Two
So what now? “There’s even more chaos in the Harrigan family than before. And slowly their past is catching up with them,” Mirren says of the new season of the hit series, which mixes bloody gangster realism with pitch-black humour and deliberately larger-than-life characters. “I think it’s just as wild, if not wilder.”
Johnny Flynn as Frankie Cooper, a treacherous gangster out to take down the Harrigans, Janet McTeer as a powerful crime boss with political clout and Toby Jones as Colin Tattersall, a retired, crooked cop, move to the front of the story. “These really are the top actors in Britain,” Mirren says. And the second season is every bit as gripping and entertaining as the first.
Green Light for More
There have been reports of trouble behind the scenes more than once. Tom Hardy is said to have clashed with executive producer and writer Jez Butterworth (Spectre, The Agency).
People close to Paramount say it’s all been blown out of proportion, and things seem to have calmed down. MobLand is getting a third season. With Tom Hardy. And, of course, with the brilliant double act of Helen Mirren and Pierce Brosnan, who turn this TV series into proper cinema.
Translated from German with AI (Claude by Anthropic).
