Filmed version of novel can "feel insane" - author Hornby

BERLIN, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Seeing a filmed version of one of your novels can "feel insane", British author Nick Hornby said on Monday at the Berlin film festival where the movie based on his anti-suicide-pact book "A Long Way Down" had a special screening.

The film stars Pierce Brosnan, Imogene Poots, Toni Collette and Aaron Paul as four people who meet by chance on New Year's Eve (Shenzhen: 300014.SZ - news) on a rooftop where they have all planned to commit suicide.

They make a pact to try to keep each other alive in what has been described a "genial farce" which is due to be released in cinemas next month.

Hornby (LSE: HRN.L - news) , several of whose books, including "High Fidelity" and "About a Boy" have been made into films, said it was always startling to work on a film project for years and then see the final result.

"There's so much work and so many years go by while you are working on this thing and suddenly you sit down in a dark room and it goes by in 90 minutes and it feels insane," Hornby said at a news conference before an evening screening of the film by French director Pascal Chaumeil.

"You come out thinking, 'I couldn't understand that, I wonder if anybody else would?'" he said, adding that on the second viewing the film makes more sense.

Brosnan, asked how it felt to have an acting life after having played James Bond in several instalments of the franchise, said he continued because "I love being an actor, I love the work, it's wonderful work, I need to work".

The Irish actor said that having played Agent 007 had allowed him to do different movies and have a career internationally.

"You have to be tough as old boots to remain an actor and stay at the table," he said. "It's my life it's what I do, I don't know what else to do at this point." (Writing by Michael Roddy; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)