The US Open final had no shortage of big moments, but one of the most entertaining ones happened away from the court. During the broadcast, ESPN’s cameras caught the clock at 0:07 before smoothly panning to Pierce Brosnan sitting in the stands. It took just a second for fans to get the joke: 0:07, followed by the man who played James Bond.
Pierce, who played James Bond across four films, was among the spectators at Arthur Ashe Stadium for the final. The perfectly timed camera cut turned what could have been a routine shot of a celebrity in the crowd into a clever little Bond reference that immediately caught fans’ attention.
The camera cut that had everyone talking
The official US Open account was quick to point out the perfectly timed shot, sharing the clip with the caption: “The camera panning from the clock at 0:07 to Pierce Brosnan. Absolute cinema.”
Fans immediately picked up on the joke and gave plenty of credit to the ESPN team behind the broadcast. The Irish actor played James Bond in four films — GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough and Die Another Day — and his version of the spy remains a fan favourite.
The transition from the clock to Pierce was so seamless that it felt less like a planned celebrity shot and more like the kind of moment a camera director knows they have nailed the second it happens. “From a ticking clock to 007 in one smooth pan, even the seconds know who’s boss,” one viewer wrote.
Others turned their attention to the camera crew, with one fan saying, “I bet the camera director and camera guy were smiling big after pulling this off,” while another was even more direct: “Give the camera operator a raise and give it to them by end of business day today”.
“That director felt great pleasure in that moment,” another viewer added. Of course, the clip also gave fans another reason to admire Pierce.
Brosnan has plenty keeping him busy
Pierce Brosnan has had a busy year, with several projects keeping him on screen. He is set to join Chris Hemsworth in Netflix’s Extraction 3, directed by Sam Hargrave, alongside returning stars Idris Elba and Golshifteh Farahani. Don Lee, Joe Taslim, Chi Lewis-Parry and Siena Agudong are also part of the cast. The film is currently in production. The actor is also returning for MobLand Season 2 and has Cliffhanger lined up, with the film now in post-production.