Pierce Brosnan Pleads Not Guilty to Trespassing Charges

Actor Pierce Brosnan attends the premiere of the Weinstein Company's 'No Escape' in Partnership With Lifeway Foods at Regal Cinemas L.A. Live on August 17, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. Charley Gallay/Getty Images for The Weinstein Company

“Goldeneye” actor Pierce Brosnan pleaded not guilty to charges that he allegedly entered a protected thermal area in Yellowstone National Park, according to court documents.

Mr. Brosnan, 70, faces charges filed Dec. 23, 2023, saying that he illegally wandered near the Mammoth Hot Springs, which are considered both dangerous and delicate.

His lawyer Karl Knuchel filed court documents on Jan. 4 to the U.S. District Court of Wyoming to plead not guilty to the charges, according to media reports. His attorney also requested to cancel the scheduled hearing set for Jan. 23 to be replaced with a status conference.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephanie Hambrick on Wednesday granted Mr. Brosnan’s request to cancel the initial hearing, reported the Cowboy State Daily.

In December, he received citations for traveling “in all thermal areas and w/in Yellowstone Canyon confined to trails” and for “violating closures and use limits” on Nov. 1, 2023. They are both listed as petty offenses.

The court documents offered few details of the incident and did not say how the James Bond actor had violated the park’s restrictions. Mr. Brosnan is accused of allegedly leaving the boardwalk area to enter restricted grounds, according to the documents.

The 70-year-old “Mamma Mia!” actor hasn’t released a statement about the incident since it was reported. Representatives for Mr. Brosnan also have not responded to multiple media outlets’ requests for comment.

Mr. Brosnan was filming his latest feature “Unholy Trinity,” which also features Samuel L. Jackson, at the Yellowstone Film Ranch. It’s not clear if he entered the restricted Yellowstone area while filming.

However, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Wyoming told The Associated Press that Mr. Brosnan was in the park on a personal visit and not for film work.

Going out-of-bounds in such areas can be dangerous: a small portion of the millions of people who visit Yellowstone each year get badly burned by ignoring warnings not to stray off the trail. Over the years, dozens of people have died in the thermal areas.

Yellowstone’s website advises travelers that they should stay on the boardwalks and trials because they can “protect you and delicate thermal formation.”

“Always walk on boardwalks and designated trails,” the site says. “Keep children close and do not let them run on boardwalks.”

It then warned that swimming or soaking in hot springs is illegal, noting that more than 20 people have died “from burns suffered after they entered or fell into Yellowstone’s hot springs.” Some of the pools and hot springs can contain significant amounts of sulfuric acid, which can burn anyone exposed to it.

In a particularly gruesome incident in 2016, a 23-year-old man died after trying to illegally soak in one of Yellowstone’s thermal pools. An incident report released at the time said that the man died by dissolving in boiling, highly acidic water.

In June, a woman was seen on video crying in pain after putting her hand into Yellowstone’s Silex Spring. The clip was uploaded onto Instagram.

In addition to his four James Bond films, Brosnan starred in the 1980s TV series “Remington Steele,” and is known for starring roles in the films “Mrs. Doubtfire” and “The Thomas Crown Affair.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.