Pierce Brosnan Recalls 'Stupid' Comment to Tim Burton That Possibly Cost Him 'Batman'

Brosnan told the tale while on 'The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.'

Pierce Brosnan's role as Dr. Fate in Black Adam isn't the first time he was up for a superhero role. He was also up for Tim Burton's Batman, but a "stupid" comment may have stifled his chances at landing the iconic role.

During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the dashingly handsome Irish actor revealed that playing the superhero and sorcerer Dr. Fate in the DC universe was "the last thing on my mind."

Fallon then asked the 69-year-old actor if, throughout his career, he turned down roles -- like a superhero role -- because he wasn't willing to play a role of that nature at that point in his career. At the time, Brosnan was enjoying huge TV success in Remington Steel, and he had also appeared in a couple other films, including Mrs. Doubtfire.

"No, not really," Brosnan said. "I mean, I went up for Batman way back in the day when Tim Burton was doing it. Obviously I didn't get the job."

Brosnan, of course, would ultimately land the iconic role of James Bond, but the lead role in Batman seemed within reach before his "stupid" comment.

"I remember saying something stupid to Tim Burton, like, 'You know, I can't understand any man who would wear his underpants outside his trousers," quipped Brosnan, drawing laughter from Fallon and the crowd. "But, there you go. The best man got the job."

The "best man" being Michael Keaton

ET caught up with Brosnan at the Black Adam premiere in New York City, where the actor opened up about how he pays tribute to his wife, Kelly Shaye Smith, in the new DC film.

"This is our wedding ring and this is a watch that Keely bought me many years ago with an inscription that [reads], 'Time flies on love's wings,'" Brosnan shared with ET's Rachel Smith. "I decided to wear it for this character. It seemed appropriate."

He added of Dr. Fate, "The man [has] traversed the ages of time. He's one of the most powerful sorcerers in the DC comic book world. He did have a wife called Enza, and she was even more powerful than him I hear."

Black Adam, also starring Dwayne Johnson, Viola Davis, Noah Centineo and Aldis Hodge, hits theaters on Oct. 21.

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