12 rounds with Pierce Brosnan and Amir El-Amir: Giant stars talk birdwatching, busting a move, and boxing ahead of Naseem Hamed biopic
Kings of the Ring.
There have been a number of cracking combat sports biopics recently – The Rock’s The Smashing Machine, Sydney Sweeney’s Christy. Joining those ranks is Giant, the story of ‘Prince’ Naseem 'Naz' Hamed, former British boxing champ.
Starring Amir El-Masry as Naz and Pierce Brosnan as his trainer, Brendan Ingle, the film is a rip-roaring, heart-warming ride through 1980s Sheffield, charting the rise of Naz through Brenden’s tutelage from just seven years old, through to his record-breaking career, and their subsequent split in 1998.
Already a hot contender for one of 2026's most lovable films, Shortlist had the chance to sit down with Amir El-Masry and Pierce Brosnan to chat all about the upcoming film – and even do a spot of urban birdwatching over a coffee.
1. The pair were already fans of Naz, but doing the biopic was still a dream
Anyone who's pro fight name is 'the Prince' is likely to have a devoted and far-reaching fanbase, even if some of them stumbled upon him accidentally, meaning to Google the other purple-clad singing Prince. As in me — that was how I first heard of him, not being a huge boxing fanatic. For Amir and Pierce however, Naz has been a part of their lives for a long time, having been fans of him and his fights since day one.
“I was familiar with Naz growing up," Amir remembered. "I was a massive fan of his, and he was a world champion who represented so many things. Not only a British champion but one who represented so many different communities within the UK. I always wanted to do a sports biopic for sure, but this was no mean feat.”
“I was aware of him; I watched the young man become a great man, a great fighter, a showman." Pierce reminisced.
"Growing up in Ireland and watching Cassius Marcellus Clay become Muhammad Ali as a little boy. Boxing has always been part of my romance, and I always wanted the boxing gloves. I still have them, they’re the only relics of my childhood."
2. Pierce was actually ringside at one of Naz's biggest fights
Being a bona fide Hollywood legend - Bond, Thomas Crown, Sam in Mamma Mia - must come with some pretty cool invites. We're thinking George Clooney's pool party, crashing in Oprah's LA mansion, the Royal Box at Wimbledon, the list goes on. So, it's not entirely surprising that Pierce - a lifelong boxing fan - was present at Madison Square Gardens for one of the biggest fights of the decade. To quote Amir, "it's crazy how full circle" the whole thing was.
"I was there in New York watching him at the Gardens," Pierce shared.
"His sons reminded me of that. I went backstage and congratulated him, and met Brenden Ingle. There's a clip of me somewhere watching the fight. It wasn’t until I was making the movie that it all came back to me… I was trying to look for it this morning."
3. The dance moves weren't just contained to the film, and the duo have some unusual places they bust a move in
Should all of our questions have been about boxing? The intricacies of the jabs, the punches, the atmosphere at the rings, the weigh-ins? Yes, they probably should have been. But you can't have a mover like Naz on screen (portrayed incredibly by El-Masry) without questioning where those dance moves came from. Especially considering Amir was working with a titan of movie musicals. The real question was, did any Mamma Mia moves make it into the ring...
“I wish I could have," Amir laughed. "I've not the same skill set as Pierce!" he joked, earning an affectionate "ya wee shite" from Pierce.
"Boxing is a dance, but Naz took it to the next level," Amir continued.
"I had an amazing movement coach, Polly Bennet who I worked with on The Crown. She's worked on Bohemian Rhapsody and the Bob Dylan biopic, too. We started working on this together – in the ring, outside of the ring. He [Naz] loves a beat, and it was really fun to do that, every morning, in the gym," Amir revealed.
“When am I most likely to bust out a move?" he pondered. "When I hear good news probably. Or in the shower, I'll have a good shuffle in there," he nodded.
Which, obviously had us just questioning two things, namely: how big is his shower, and did he have a non-slip bath mat.
“Singing in the shower is more common," Pierce reasoned, looking at his co-star with new eyes, still laughing at our follow-up question: "How big is your shower?"
Endlessly enigmatic, when questioned on whether he too indulges in a small shower boogie now and then, Pierce simply said: “If it makes you happy for me to say it, then yes, I do.” It's not a no folks...
One thing we all agreed on was the classic "the food's just arrived" happy dance. Especially if it's a big bowl of pasta.
4. There is never a bad time for a spot of bird watching
It's rare to be enraptured by nature in central London, especially to the point where you have to pause an interview. Luckily, the dancing magpies in the trees outside our window were just too irresistibly charming for Pierce.
“There you go," he said suddenly. "There’s another magpie, two for joy. I’ve been watching this one out of the window whilst we’re talking about dancing, and now there’s another. I’m not a bird watcher generally, but I do love magpies.”
Hopefully, he’ll be getting some joy soon, we wondered aloud.
“Joy is being here, sitting with you, chatting about this film and shooting the breeze," Pierce said, cementing his status as the king of charm. (*immediately texted my mum to tell her*)
5. There was a lot of leopard print clothing – and some of it made its way off set…
Finally, there was a lot of leopard print in this film – more so than we had any right to expect, especially in a sports biopic. But did they have magpie eyes for the Cat Deely-esque outfits? Yes, yes, they did.
“I kept the leopard print,” Pierce laughed. “The tracksuit, I kept that. I should have worn it today!”
“I did too,” Amir grinned, “I kept the shorts, Naz’s shorts.”
If this press tour doesn't include a leopard print tracksuit on the red carpet, we will be seriously disappointed. Although maybe we'll see it pop up soon... Mamma Mia x leopard print adidas anyone?
Giant is in cinemas from Friday 9th January across the UK.
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