James Bond star Pierce Brosnan pleaded guilty on Thursday to illegally entering protected thermal areas of Yellowstone National Park during a visit in November 2023.
The "Goldeneye" actor, 70, was issued citations for walking thermal areas within Yellowstone Canyon and "violating closures and use limits" on Nov. 1. Unlike his famous character, British agent 007, he was less than stealthy, caught after he posted pictures of the trek online. He entered the Mammoth Terraces area in the northern part of the park, which features bubbling hot springs, TMX reports.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephanie Hambrick dismissed the citation for violating closures and use limits, and, for the other offense, issued a fine of $500 and ordered the actor to make a donation of $1,000 to Yellowstone Forever, a nonprofit organization, by April 1. Prosecutors had sought a $5,000 fine and two years of probation, according to TMX.
Perhaps stirred, but not shaken by the mishap, Brosnan took to Instagram on Thursday to issue an apology and to urge other Yellowstone visitors to "#StayOnThePath."
"As an environmentalist I have the utmost respect for and love of our natural world. However, I made an impulsive mistake — one that I do not take lightly — when entering a thermal area covered in snow in Yellowstone National Park to take a photograph," Brosnan wrote.
"I did not see a 'No Trespassing' sign posted that warned of danger nor did I hike in the immediate area," he wrote. "I deeply regret my transgression and offer my heartfelt apologies to all for trespassing in this sensitive area. Yellowstone and all our National Parks are to be cared for and preserved for all to enjoy. #StayOnThePath."
Brosnan was in Wyoming filming the upcoming Western "Unholy Trinity," alongside Samuel L. Jackson, at the Yellowstone Film Ranch in Paradise Valley.
According to Yellowstone National Park's website, the park is home to a variety of hydro-thermal features, including geysers; hot springs; mud pots, which are acidic hot springs that dissolve the surrounding rock; fumaroles, or steam vents; and travertine terraces, which are hot springs that rise through limestone, depositing calcite into terraces.
In its guidelines for safely exploring the hydro-thermal features, the park warns that "more than 20 people have died from burns suffered after they entered or fell into Yellowstone's hot springs."
"Boardwalks and trails protect you and delicate thermal formations," the park warns. "Water in hot springs can cause severe or fatal burns, and scalding water underlies most of the thin, breakable crust around hot springs."
— with reporting by TMX
