The film ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’ became the eighteenth installment in the James Bond franchise and the second film starring Pierce Brosnan as 007. In 1997, audiences saw the return of the secret agent as he faced off against media mogul Elliot Carver, a man determined to start a world war for the sake of his own influence.
Bond receives help from Chinese spy Wai Lin, played by Michelle Yeoh, and at the center of the story appears Paris Carver — the agent’s former lover, portrayed by Teri Hatcher.
Conflict on Set
Despite the on-screen glamour, the behind-the-scenes atmosphere was far from smooth. According to Brosnan himself, his main source of frustration during filming was Teri Hatcher’s tardiness. The actor admitted he was annoyed that she frequently arrived late on set, forcing him to wait for hours. “I was very angry with her,” he once said. The tension grew so intense that Brosnan, by his own admission, ended up saying “a few unpleasant things” to her.
However, it was later revealed that Hatcher had a good reason for being late — she was pregnant and not feeling well at the time. “One morning we learned that Teri was pregnant and that she wasn’t feeling great. It happens,” Brosnan explained. Shortly after filming wrapped, the actress gave birth to her daughter, Emerson Rose.
A Personal Reason to Join the Franchise
For many actresses, appearing in a Bond film is considered a career milestone, but Teri Hatcher viewed her role differently. Her character, Paris Carver — the villain’s wife and Bond’s former flame — seemed too shallow and artificial to her. “It’s such an artificial character that you don’t get much satisfaction from it,” she once admitted.
Still, Hatcher accepted the part largely for personal reasons: to fulfill the dream of her then-husband, actor Jon Tenney, for whom being married to a “Bond girl” held special significance.
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Despite the behind-the-scenes difficulties, Tomorrow Never Dies cemented Pierce Brosnan’s success as James Bond, while Teri Hatcher’s performance — though not highly valued by the actress herself — became a memorable part of the iconic franchise.
