Pierce Brosnan says he regrets ‘impulsive mistake’ after fine for off-limits Yellowstone hike

Former James Bond actor pleaded guilty to stepping off a trail in a thermal area

Pierce Brosnan has been ordered to pay $1,500 after pleading guilty to stepping off a trail in a thermal area in Yellowstone National Park last November.

The actor, 70, is best known for playing British spy James Bond in four films.

Brosnan called into a court hearing on Thursday (14 March), where he was fined $500 and ordered to make a $1,000 donation to Yellowstone Forever, a nonprofit organization that supports the park.

According to court records, he has until 1 April to settle the matter.

In a statement published on Instagram, Mr Brosnan said: “As an environmentalist I have the utmost respect for and love of our natural world.

People Brosnan attends the LA premiere of ‘The Out-Laws’ in 2023 (2023 Invision)

“However, I made an impulsive mistake - one that I do not take lightly - when entering a thermal area covered in snow in Yellowstone National Park to take a photograph. I did not see a “No Trespassing” sign posted that warned of danger nor did I hike in the immediate area.

“I deeply regret my transgression and offer my heartfelt apologies to all for trespassing in this sensitive area.

“Yellowstone and all our National Parks are to be cared for and preserved for all to enjoy.”

US Magistrate Judge Stephanie Hambrick dismissed a second petty offence for violating closures and use limits.

According to the citations Mr Brosnan walked in an off-limits area at Mammoth Terraces, in the northern part of Yellowstone near the Wyoming-Montana line, on 1 November last year. He was in the park on a personal visit and not for film work, the US Attorney’s Office for Wyoming has said.

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Mammoth Terraces is a scenic spot of mineral-encrusted hot springs bubbling from a hillside. They are just some of the park’s hundreds of thermal features, which range from spouting geysers to gurgling mud pots, with water at or near the boiling point.

Going out-of-bounds in such areas can be dangerous: Some of the millions of people who visit Yellowstone each year get badly burned by ignoring warnings not to stray off the trail.

“Boardwalks and trails protect you and delicate thermal formations. Water in hot springs can cause severe or fatal burns, and scalding water underlies most of the thin, breakable crust around hot springs,” the National Park Service says on its website.

Mr Brosnan was born in Drogheda, Ireland in 1953 and had his breakthrough as an actor with the British spy series Remington Steele in the 1980s, before being cast as James Bond beginning with 1995’s Goldeneye.

He played Bond from 1995 to 2002 before Daniel Craig took over the role. He also starred in the 1980s TV series Remington Steele and is also known for appearing in the films Mrs Doubtfire, The Thomas Crown Affair and Mamma Mia!.

In 2023, Mr Brosnan unveiled a “deeply personal” series of paintings in his first solo art exhibition.

Last week, he offered his verdict on how his fellow countryman and recent Best Actor Oscar winner Cillian Murphy would fare as 007.

Additional reporting by Associated Press