3 April 2026
Brian Cox has launched a broadside against a string of prominent actors and filmmakers.
Brian Cox has launched a broadside against a string of prominent actors and filmmakers
Describing some of the industry’s biggest names as “overrated”, “a pain in the a***” and “a stupid, stupid man”, the Succession actor, 79, let rip in a new newspaper interview.
Brian made the remarks in an interview with The Times, in which he reflected on his career and views on acting. Speaking about Johnny Depp, Brian said he was relieved to have turned down a role in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, adding he feels the actor is “so overblown” and “so overrated”.
He also commented on his former X2 co-star Ian McKellen, stating Ian’s acting is “not to my taste”.
Brian extended his criticism to other actors, including Edward Norton, who he described as “a pain in the a***”, and Kevin Spacey, calling him “a stupid, stupid man”.
Turning to directors and writers, Brian said Quentin Tarantino is “meretricious”, described Michael Caton-Jones as “a complete a***hole”, and referred to David Hare as a “see you next Tuesday”.
Discussing performances, Brian referenced Gary Oldman and his Oscar-winning portrayal of Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour.
Brian said Gary’s performance was “cobblers” and “a crowd-pleasing farrago”, contrasting it with his own portrayal of Churchill in Churchill.
He also commented on casting in a new adaptation of Wuthering Heights, saying of Margot Robbie: “Margot Robbie is far too beautiful for that role.”
He added: “I mean, I think there should be something more of the Gypsy about her but it’s wrong of me to judge. It may be a brilliant film.”
Brian also addressed his disagreement with Daniel Day-Lewis in relation to method acting.
He said: “No, I haven’t reached out (on my opinions about method acting) because it’s got nothing to do with Dan Day-Lewis. Dan Day-Lewis, he’s discreet. He never upsets it (the filming process.)”
Speaking about his former Succession co-star Jeremy Strong – who went “method” on the show – Brian said: “He’s a good actor, Jeremy. He’s a wonderful actor. It’s just all the b******* that goes with it. You watch children – they don’t say, ‘What’s my motivation?’ They just do it!”
Brian said about how his partner begs him to watch his mouth: “I mean, my wife keeps saying, ‘Brian, be careful. Brian, be careful.”
He added: “I think, ‘F*** it, I don’t want to be careful anymore! I’ll be 80 this year. F*** it! I’m gonna say what I want to say.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.femalefirst.co.uk ’
