Pierce Brosnan and Keely Shaye Smith have been together for three decades, and most of those three decades have been spent living in their luxe $100m (€86.2m) Malibu compound.
But now, after 26 years, the couple has made a life-changing decision: upping sticks and starting afresh.
The reason? The California wildfires that frequently destroy celebrities’ homes and torch all of their belongings.
While Pierce and Keely have never had to suffer the wrath of the wildfires, their Malibu mansion has come close to being burnt to the ground several times.
The home survived the most recent LA fires in early 2025, but fears are mounting, and for Pierce and Keely, it’s time to get out.
Speaking to The Times, the Bond actor said: ‘We’ve been spared by the fires a few times now. But I think it’s time to move. Everything changes, everything falls apart…’
‘We live by this body of earth’s water on a fault in a ring of earthquakes. That creates a fear,’ he continued.
‘I think the two of us are somewhat reclusive. It’s a long way into town. We have a small circle of friends here [but] people get divorced, they die, they move on. And we’re still here.’
Pierce and Keely have been splitting their time between Malibu and a secondary residence in Kauai, Hawaii, but the upkeep of his Malibu mansion is costing him a lot of money.
Pierce has admitted that he’s had to take acting jobs in the past that he wasn’t passionate about just to cover his bills and his sons’ school fees.
‘There have been doldrums. I have this beautiful house in Malibu. I have to pay the mortgage. There are school fees. There are definite moments of, “Oh, this boat is not quite sinking, but [it might] if we don’t get a job soon,”‘ he said.
The MobLand actor said he’s made ‘peace’ with making a ‘commitment because you need the money’. Regardless of whether he feels passionate about the role, he will ‘show up on time and do good work’.
Malibu has been idyllic for Pierce, who keeps fit by getting outside. Keely is the one who ‘keeps me on track’, and he steers clear (as much as possible) of cocktails, beer, bread, butter, and pasta.
Pierce and Keely developed their Southeast Asian-inspired compound after buying two adjacent properties for a reported $7.35m (€6.33m) in 2000.
The home is located in upscale Broad Beach, where stars including Nicolas Cage, Dustin Hoffman, Ray Romano and Mindy Kaling own multi-million-dollar homes.
Pierce and Keely’s compound covers an acre and is home to two residences with five bedrooms and 14 bathrooms in total.
