Scene turns into a nightmare when Halle Berry stops breathing, shocking the set as Pierce Brosnan leaps in with a heroic act that saves the “Bond girl” just in time.
The glamour of the James Bond set is rarely interrupted by true peril, but during the production of the 2002 film Die Another Day, a supposedly romantic scene turned into a harrowing near-tragedy. The scene turned into a nightmare when Halle Berry stopped breathing, shocking the set as Pierce Brosnan leaps in with a heroic act that saves the “Bond girl” just in time. It was an unscripted moment that saw the actor playing James Bond, Pierce Brosnan, drop his suave demeanor to perform a genuine life-saving act, proving that sometimes, the real hero wears the suit.
A Fig and a Moment of Panic
The incident took place while filming Die Another Day, the 20th installment of the iconic spy franchise. Halle Berry was playing the formidable NSA agent Jinx Johnson. The scene being shot involved a seductive moment between Jinx and James Bond, where Berry was eating a piece of fruit—a fig—while attempting to seduce him. While shooting the close-up, the actress choked on the fig, struggling instantly to breathe. The set, usually a hub of organized chaos, descended into momentary shock and panic as the reality of the situation became clear: the lead actress was genuinely suffocating. Her inability to clear the obstruction meant time was rapidly running out.
The Unscripted Hero: Pierce Brosnan’s Intervention
Unlike the choreographed fights and meticulously planned stunts that are the hallmark of the Bond franchise, this act of heroism was instantaneous and organic. With no time for the Director Lee Tamahori to call “cut” or for anyone else to react, Pierce Brosnan leaped into action. Brosnan, realizing the severity of Berry’s choking, swiftly applied the Heimlich maneuver. The emergency procedure, used to dislodge obstructions from a choking person’s windpipe, was successful, forcing the fig out and restoring the ability to breathe to the terrified actress. The dramatic turn of events transformed the star of the film into a real-life savior.
The Bond Heroism Beyond the Script
Reflecting on the near-death experience, Halle Berry later confirmed the extent of Brosnan’s quick thinking and heroic deed, offering a memorable data point about her co-star’s true character during an interview with Jimmy Fallon: “I was supposed to be all sexy, trying to seduce him with a fig. I end up choking on it and he had to get up and do the Heimlich. So not sexy! James Bond knows how to Heimlich! He was there for me, he will always be one of my favorite people in the whole world.” Though Brosnan himself modestly stated he “vaguely” remembered the incident and might have just “patted her on the back,” Berry’s account confirms his life-saving intervention. The real-life heroics underscore the very theme of the franchise: an ordinary man called upon to perform the extraordinary.
