Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren Reveal Their Very Polite Off-Camera Routine Before Becoming the Wild Harrigans (Exclusive)

Deirdre DurkanSun, October 4, 2026 at 12:00 PM UTC

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Pierce Brosnan and Helen MirrenCredit: David Fisher/Shutterstock -

Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren share a quiet tea in the makeup trailer before filming MobLand

The actors return as crime family couple Conrad and Maeve Harrigan in season 2

Mirren says the cast’s trust gives them freedom to take creative risks on set

Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren may play one of television’s most volatile couples, but their mornings together couldn’t be more civilized.

The actors, who return as crime family patriarch and matriarch Conrad and Maeve Harrigan in season 2 of MobLand, tell PEOPLE that before the cameras start rolling, they begin their days side-by-side in the makeup trailer — where there’s little sign of the chaos to come.

“I call it’s like a fever dream,” Brosnan, 73, says of stepping into the world of the series. “It’s like some kind of bizarre trip, so it just unfolds before you really.”

“And by the time you put the costume on, I mean, Helen and I are in the same makeup trailer in the mornings,” he continues. “Helen sits here, I sit there, and good morning, good morning, and so very —”

“Polite, very nice,” Mirren, 81, jumps in, before demonstrating their decidedly low-key routine: “Morning, Piers. How are you this morning, darling? I’m fine.”

“Waking up. Cup of tea —” Brosnan adds.

“Then we walk on set,” Mirren says, before pretending to wildly fire a gun as the pair burst into laughter.

Helen Mirren as Maeve Harrigan and Pierce Brosnan as Conrad Harrigan in ‘MobLand’Credit: Sophie Mutevelian/Paramount+

“It’s nuts,” Brosnan adds.

That quick transformation from morning pleasantries to the Harrigans’ explosive world is part of the fun for the longtime actors.

“It really is. It’s such a joy to play these characters. Happened at a perfect time,” Brosnan says.

“It’s having the time of our life,” Mirren adds. “I love Disneyland. It’s like going to Disneyland.”

Season 2 allows the pair to dive even deeper into Conrad and Maeve’s complicated marriage. Even when the two are hurling insults at one another, there is little doubt about the fierce bond underneath it all — something Brosnan and Mirren can push to extremes because their actual working relationship is built on trust.

Mirren says the comfort she feels around Brosnan and the rest of the ensemble gives her the confidence to take risks once the cameras start rolling.

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“Absolutely. You know, it’s there’s nothing like ease on a set to feel ease, comfort, and and being safe,” she says. “You feel safe. I feel safe with Piers and with Tom and and and all of our other actors, who are all wonderful, great women, great women’s roles, great men’s, just a real ensemble.”

The Oscar winner says that closeness has made the cast feel almost like a theater troupe.

“Piers describes it as a kind of a theater company. We are a bit like that,” she explains. “There is that sense, but to give you the freedom to invent, to be ridiculous, to make mistakes, to you know to mess up is is great on a film set because sometimes one is nervous and frightened and insecure and all of that sort of thing.”

Helen Mirren, Emmett J Scanlan, Pierce Brosnan and Jack Archer in ‘MobLand’Credit: Luke Varley/Paramount+

Brosnan agrees, noting that acting isn’t always as communal as it may appear from the outside.

“It can be a lonely place. A film set a lot can happen from leaving your trailer to get on, getting on the set,” he says.

But MobLand has offered something different.

“That sense of freedom and an invention is is great on a film set,” Mirren notes.

“It is, it is,” Brosnan agrees.

“And you can only do that when you’re working with people who are giving, generous, and kind of professional and inventive,” Mirren adds.

That sense of play comes after decades spent honing their respective crafts. Mirren, whose career began on the stage, has previously spoken about the importance of simply getting on with the work, while Brosnan has described acting as central to his life and has continued seeking out roles that allow him to challenge himself.

With MobLand, the pair have found exactly that — and, after their quiet cup of tea in the morning, plenty of room to leave politeness behind.

Season 2 of MobLand is now streaming on Paramount+.

on People

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”