Luke Varley/Paramount+ Pierce Brosnan attempted a Kerry accent for his role as Irish mob boss Conrad Harrigan in Paramount+'sMobLand, but it has not been all that well-received A particularly harsh critique came fromThe Irish Times, which called the accent a "horror for the ages" that could "scupper his national treasure status" Now, Brosnan — who was born in Ireland but moved to England when he was 12 — has weighed in on the controversy Pierce Brosnanknows what people are thinking. The Irish-born actor plays a mob boss in Paramount+'sMobLand, and his character Conrad Harrigan is supposed to be from Kerry in the southwest of Ireland, but fans haven't been sold on his Irish roots — and neither have Irish people. The Irish Timesblasted his attempt at a Kerry accent as a "horror for the ages" and said that any "hard work" the actor did to prepare for the role had "sadly been in vain." The outlet went as far as to assert that the "terrible accent" could lead Brosnan, 72, to "scupper his national treasure status," given he spent the first decade of his life living in Ireland. Fans online were equally transparent with their critiques. "Pierce Brosnan [must] be the only person in existence who was born and raised in Ireland to Irish parents that can't pull off an Irish accent. And he's an actor! Embarrassing stuff, someone should've told him," wrote one person in aposton X. Luke Varley/Paramount+ Now, theMamma Mia!star has weighed in on the controversy. When asked byRadio Timesabout the criticisms, Brosnan said his "own [Irish] accent is very soft" and that his character's "accent is a million miles away from me." He shared that a dialect coach had recommended that Brosnan follow the lead of an unnamed but well-known Kerry man. "I told [the dialect coach] that I needed a Kerry accent, so he gave me the name of a man, and I Googled the guy and that was it. It was a Kerry accent," he told the outlet. "And so, I just gave it full tilt." Brosnan stars in the series alongsideHelen Mirren, who plays his wife Maeve and also has an Irish twang,Tom Hardy,Paddy ConsidineandJoanne Froggatt. MobLandmarks the second project the actor has worked on with Mirren, 79, in the last year — they'll star inThe Thursday Murder ClubwithBen Kingsleyand Celia Imrie in August — which hasled them to develop "a friendship and a relationship that was completely unexpected." Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Luke Varley/Paramount+ He called Mirren "someone who I've admired for so many years" in an interview withEntertainment Tonightat theMobLandrecent premiere, and said they've "become good pals." "She's just a magnificent actress, really, and a great woman. Really cool." New episodes ofMobLandpremiere Sundays on Paramount+. Read the original article onPeople