Lily James Praises Costar Pierce Brosnan as ‘One of Life’s True Gentlemen’: ‘He’s Just a Dream’

Lily James is expressing her fondness for her two-time costar Pierce Brosnan!

While James, 36, spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about her upcoming movies Finally Dawn, Relay and Cliffhanger — the latter of which costars her with Brosnan, 72 — the actress raved about working with Brosnan in Cliffhanger.

“We were so lucky to have him, and he’s so brilliant in the movie,” James said; she and Brosnan will costar in the mountain-climbing themed reboot and legacy sequel of the 1993 thriller starring Sylvester Stallone. The pair previously both appeared in 2018’s Mamma Mia! sequel, Here We Go Again.

“He’s one of life’s true gentlemen, and he was such a brilliant actor to have as our father in this story,” James added of Brosnan. “He just brings real heart, and he elevates the whole thing. He’s just a dream, and getting to work with him again was so wonderful.”

Audiences got their first look at images of James in Cliffhanger back in October 2024, while the movie was still in production. “In this reboot of Cliffhanger, seasoned mountaineer Ray Cooper (Brosnan) and his daughter Sydney run a mountain chalet in the Dolomites,” an official synopsis for the movie reads. “During a weekend trip with a billionaire’s son, they are targeted by a gang of kidnappers. Ray’s older daughter Naomi (James), still haunted by a past climbing accident, witnesses the attack and escapes.”

James’ character must “save her family” and “fight for survival in the Italian Dolomites,” the synopsis adds. Aside from Brosnan and James, Cliffhanger costars Nell Tiger Free, Franz Rogowski, Shubham Saraf, Assaad Bouab, Suzy Bemba and Bruno Gouery.

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“I’m really proud of Cliffhanger. I’m so excited,” James told THR of the movie. “We’re in the edit and getting it ready, and I’m super hopeful. It is such a cool reimagining, and while it’s really unexpected at times, it keeps all the gripping glory of the original, I hope. I did all my own climbing, and I got real strong. I was just pounding press-ups between every take.”

James most recently appeared in 2024’s Greedy People; her next movie Relay, which costars Riz Ahmed and Sam Worthington, releases in theaters Aug. 22. Finally Dawn hits theaters on July 18, and Cliffhanger does not yet have a release date.