Pierce Brosnan Says His Wife Is 'Terrified' of His 'MobLand' Character: 'It Gets Even More Medieval'

Pierce Brosnan's MobLand character may be frightening audiences, but apparently Conrad Harrigan has one especially petrified viewer at home: Brosnan's wife.

"I sat with my wife, Keely [Shaye Smith], watching the first season, and she was terrified," Brosnan said. "She really was."

The actor discussed his wife's reaction while speaking with Sarah Bradbury ahead of the second season of the crime drama, which returns September 18.

Brosnan plays Conrad Harrigan, the ruthless patriarch of the crime family at the center of MobLand. If the first season was enough to make his wife uneasy, the actor warned that the new episodes take things to an even darker place.

"She's even more terrified this year because it gets even more medieval, somewhat," he said.

When Bradbury asked whether the role had ever resulted in the couple sleeping with the lights on, he had a quick answer.

"No, that wasn't necessary," he said.

Brosnan's scenes with Helen Mirren, who plays Conrad's formidable wife, Maeve, have become one of the show's biggest draws. He said creating that complicated history between the characters did not require lengthy conversations between the actors.

Brosnan described the straightforward manner the two veterans approached their performance. "[We] just read the script. Just read the script and showed up," he said.

Brosnan explained that he and Mirren have a similar instinctive approach to their work and prefer not to over-discuss a scene unless something in the material needs attention.

The actor credited playwright Jez Butterworth with giving them strong material to work with, while also praising the wider ensemble and director Guy Ritchie.

One of Conrad's memorable lines gives MobLand viewers a cheeky invitation to dig into the Harrigan family history: "We're the Harrigans. Don't know the name? Google us."

That prompted Bradbury to ask whether Brosnan ever searches for himself online.

"Well, I don't intentionally go to Google myself, but once you go down that rabbit hole, you know, you bump into yourself from various parts of your life and your career," he said.

With decades of film and television work behind him, Brosnan acknowledged that his name inevitably turns up.

"I've been around for a while, so, yes, I do see myself," he said. "It's all good. It's all good."

Brosnan returns as Conrad when MobLand Season 2 premieres on Paramount+ September 18. The new season reunites him with Mirren and Tom Hardy, who plays the Harrigans' fixer, Harry Da Souza.

The series comes from creator Ronan Bennett, with Season 2 continuing the Harrigan family's increasingly fractured fight for control. Paramount+ has already renewed MobLand for a third season.