Brian Cox Slams Margot Robbie and More in Unfiltered Interview

Succession star Brian Cox shared his unfiltered thoughts on Margot Robbie and several other celebrities in a scathing new interview.

“Margot Robbie is far too beautiful for that role in [Wuthering Heights],” Cox, 79, told The Times in an interview published on Friday, April 3. “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.”

Robbie, 35, stars opposite Jacob Elordi as Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, respectively, in the adaptation of Emily Brontë’s famous novel. Both the Barbie actress, who was also a producer on the film, and Elordi, 28, previously received backlash for their casting, as fans argued that they did not match the physical descriptions of their characters. (Both Catherine and Heathcliff are meant to be teenagers in the novel.)

Cox also mocked Robbie’s Australian accent while discussing the role, quipping, “ ‘Keith Cliff! It’s me, Cathy!’ ‘How ya doing, Keith? Awright?’ ‘Yeah, I’m awright!’ ”

Elsewhere in the interview, Cox took aim at Quentin Tarantino, President Donald Trump and Kevin Spacey.

“[When directing] I like to honor the actor’s performance. With a Quentin Tarantino film, what you see is all Quentin Tarantino. That’s not me. I don’t want to do that,” Cox said of the famous director, 63, calling Tarantino “meretricious” — defined as “apparently attractive but having in reality no value or integrity.”

Cox called Spacey, 66 — his costar in the 1994 film Iron Will — a “stupid, stupid man.” Of Trump, 79, the Manhunter actor added, “Trump doesn’t give a s*** about the people. He’s only interested in the oil [in Iran]. There’s just sheer f***g greed motivating him, nothing else. The idea he’s liberating people is nonsense.”

The Times article also included previous quotes on Johnny Depp and Edward Norton, which Cox’s reps clarified were from his 2022 autobiography, Putting the Rabbit in the Hat, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

In the book, Cox said he turned down a role in Pirates of the Caribbean because he didn’t want to work with Depp, 62, calling the actor “so overblown, so overrated.” (He later admitted that he “regretted” making the comment about Depp and “was just being harsh.”)

Meanwhile, he called Norton, 56, “a pain in the arse.” (Cox and Norton costarred in the 2002 drama 25th Hour, directed by Spike Lee.)

Cox has made headlines for years with his candid assessments of fellow Hollywood stars. Back in 2024, he slammed Joaquin Phoenix’s performance in Napoleon, calling it “truly terrible.” He has also frequently spoken out against “f***ing annoying” method acting, particularly when done by Succession costar Jeremy Strong.

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Cox was again asked about Strong, 47, in his interview with The Times.

“I don’t want to go on about Jeremy, because I’ve got into a lot of problems and he’s begged me to stop talking about him. He’s a good actor, Jeremy,” Cox told the outlet.

When asked by the outlet if his opinions on Hollywood talent have cost him anything, Cox responded, “Well, I don’t know yet if it’s caused me problems. I mean, my wife [Nicole Ansari-Cox] keeps saying, ‘Brian, be careful. Brian, be careful.’ I think, ‘F*** it, I don’t want to be careful anymore! I’ll be 80 this year. F*** I’m gonna say what I want to say.’”