Pierce Brosnan, the actor that spent almost a decade playing James Bond, has now been nominated for a Golden Globe award for his part in The Matador, which opens tomorrow in the US. Brosnan plays the complex part of an assassin having an emotional breakdown.

The Matador is an Irish DreamTime production, same as the 1999 film The Thomas Crown Affair, in which Brosnan starred as a high-rolling art thief. Irish DreamTime is Brosnan's own production company. The Matador has been written and directed by Richard Shepard, and it explores the unlikely friendship between the lonely hit man Julian (Brosnan) and the struggling businessman Danny (Greg Kinnear).

Brosnan's character in the movie, Julian, is a world apart from agent 007. Brosnan confessed to be overwhelmed by Julian's crude world-view and seedy bisexual lifestyle. I told my producing partners, this is just too much, he says. I felt that with the audience that has followed my career, you just don't want to make a really, really sharp left and throw everybody off the bus.

The actor was very disappointed when he was dropped as 007 last year and replaced with Daniel Craig. For months, the actor used strong words in the media to express the hurt, rage and disappointment, but then he seamed to get over it and interpret this as a chance for him to prove he is a good actor and can play more versatile roles. He declared: This is a new chapter with James Bond, this is a new chapter for Pierce Brosnan.

He also added: I hadn't done this kind of work in a long time. When I came to America at 25, 26, I came here thinking I was going to be in Martin Scorsese movies and I ended up with a TV show [Remington Steele]. I've done so much of the sophisticated man in the suit. I am looking for the next stage - character work.

The actor also shared some of his views on politics: I've got nothing against Republicans, but this has all turned so ugly and confused, he said gravely.

This government has made decisions which we are going to suffer the consequences of for a long, long time. You want to have faith in your leaders but it's very hard to have faith in President George W. Bush.

You speak up like that as an actor, and people will shoot you down hard and fast, he continued. But you don't speak as an actor. You speak as a man, a working actor with a family.