Brian Cox is aware he’s made some actors upset.
In a new interview with the Guardian, the 78-year-old veteran actor reflected on how comments he’s made in interviews and in his 2022 memoir Putting the Rabbit in the Hat may have ruffled feathers with some of Hollywood’s elite.
“I feel I’ve upset a few people over the years,” Cox told the British newspaper. “The problem is, I can be quite a loudmouth. Sometimes I have been fairly volatile, and I think, ‘Why the fuck did you say that?’”
In the memoir, Cox criticized stars like Johnny Depp, calling him “so overblown, so overrated,” which led him to turn down a role in Pirates of the Caribbean, CBN reports. He also described Steven Seagal as “ludicrous,” called Edward Norton “a pain in the arse,” and director Michael Caton-Jones a “complete arsehole.”
“But then they probably think they’re overrated as well. So I’m not saying anything they don’t think anyway,” Cox conceded to the Guardian.
Cox also praised his Succession co-star Jeremy Strong’s performance as Kendall Roy, the son of his character Logan Roy, while doubling down on his past comments about his method acting.
While Cox said Strong was “wonderful to act with,” he once again noted that his method techniques are preventing him from becoming a better actor.
“He would be an even better actor if he just got rid of that so there would be much more inclusiveness in what he did,” Cox told the British newspaper. “Well, it’s not good for the ensemble. It creates hostility. That’s the problem.”
Cox, who is a classically trained Shakespearean actor, also suggested that his fellow cast mates would’ve had a more positive experience on set if Strong, 45, could have been more relaxed about his technique.
“Go back to your trailer and have a hit of marijuana, you know?” he told the Guardian.
This isn’t the first time Cox had something to say about Strong going full method.
For his Town & Country cover story last March, Cox said it was “fucking annoying” to see Strong always stay in character.
“He’s a very good actor,” Cox said at the time. “And the rest of the ensemble is all okay with this. But knowing a character and what the character does is only part of the skill set.”
