Oh-Oh, Seven! Famous Actor Receives Yellowstone Park Citations

The boardwalks are there for good reason. Luckily, the hot water this gentleman got into is only of the figurative, not literal, kind.

In news about as surprising as reporting that the sun came up today, another tourist has been cited for inappropriate behavior in Yellowstone National Park. But when the accused offender is a world-famous actor, well, that tends to move it up the publicity ladder.

THE RULE: TAKEN, NOT DETOURED

The website backpacker.com and numerous other outlets tell us that renowned actor Pierce Brosnan was issued a citation for "foot travel in a thermal area." The alleged incident occurred in November and Mr. Brosnan was not actually issued the two citations until yesterday (Tuesday, December 26). The charges consist of violating a closure order by leaving a boardwalk and a closure and use limit violation in Yellowstone's Mammoth Terraces. About the only explanation given was that he wanted " to get a closer look at a hot spring in the northern section of the park."

According to the National Park Service, Mammoth Terrace is an extremely popular area for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. The route that tourists are required to stay on is a 2.8-mile loop in the northeast corner of the park. The National Park Service notes that the hot springs in the area “change constantly,” sometimes to the extent that it’s visible over the course of a day.

Pierce Brosnan, now age 70, has an impressive acting resume, highlights of which include his role as James Bond in "GoldenEye," "Die Another Day," "The World is not Enough," and "Tomorrow Never Dies." Other prominent roles include his work in "Mrs. Doubtfire," "Mamma Mia!," "Dante's Peak," and more recently, "Black Adam."

According to The Messenger, the first know organization to report the incident, Mr. Brosnan was in the area to film the upcoming western "Unholy Trinity" with Samuel L. Jackson.

HARDLY THE WORST OFFENSES WE'VE HEARD ABOUT

To put the violations in perspective, documents from 2016 say a man was caught walking off a boardwalk in the same area and was fined $1,000.

Mr. Brosnan faces a mandatory court appearance on January 23.