{"id":1959564,"date":"2025-08-14T07:02:16","date_gmt":"2025-08-14T07:02:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=1959564"},"modified":"2025-08-14T07:02:16","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T07:02:16","slug":"brian-cox-braveheart-is-a-lie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/brian-cox-braveheart-is-a-lie\/","title":{"rendered":"Brian Cox: Braveheart is a lie"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Braveheart is \u201ca lie\u201d, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/tv\/2025\/08\/11\/brian-cox-interview-007-road-to-a-million\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Brian Cox;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\">Brian Cox<\/a> has said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The Scottish actor, who starred in Succession, said the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/films\/0\/mel-gibson-best-films-roles\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Mel Gibson;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\">Mel Gibson<\/a> film about William Wallace had a \u201ccrap\u201d script and was historically inaccurate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Speaking at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, he said: \u201cThe film is just bollocks. It doesn\u2019t make any sense.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/brian-cox-actor\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Cox;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\">Cox<\/a>, 79, appeared in the 1995 historical epic despite initially turning the role down to appear in a film about Rob Roy, the 17th century outlaw.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Brian Cox celebrating the opening of the 2025 Edinburgh International Festival &#8211; Jane Barlow<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">He said Gibson pleaded with him to take a role in Braveheart.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cI said, \u2018Well, there is a very good part at the beginning, a guy called Argyle but I\u2019m wrong for him because he should be cadaverous and thin\u2019,\u201d Cox said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cAnd he said: \u2018No, you can play it\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Cox played Argyle Wallace, the uncle of the main character, in the film about the Scottish wars of independence in the 13th and 14th centuries.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">He added: \u201cI just didn\u2019t want to be in a kilt. Of course they didn\u2019t have kilts in those days but they had to have kilts [in the film] because that is what it is about.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Braveheart, which won five Academy Awards, has been criticised for <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/films\/0\/mel-gibson-versus-history-braveheart-got-william-wallace-wrong\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:not strictly following historical fact;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\">not strictly following historical fact<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">It contained an invented romance between Wallace and Isabella of France, depicted Scots wearing tartan before it was invented and showed them using tactics in the set piece battle against the English army that they did not use.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Mel Gibson is William Wallace and Sophie Marceau is Princess Isabelle in Braveheart\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"600\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/Tskxj476V1rQZluiLahp_g--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTYwMDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/the_telegraph_258\/f9edc2cdc0466ec11ac77741a06d6568\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>Braveheart contained an invented romance between Wallace and Isabella of France<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The script was based on a 15th century poem called The Wallace, written by a minstrel called Blind Harry.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cMel is wonderful to work with,\u201d Cox said. \u201cHe gets a bad rap but actually he is a really good man. I saw him deal with some lads [on the film] who were alcoholically inclined and he used to deal with them absolutely beautifully.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Sharon L. Krossa, a medieval historian and Braveheart detractor, has previously said: \u201cThe events aren\u2019t accurate, the dates aren\u2019t accurate, the characters aren\u2019t accurate, the names aren\u2019t accurate, the clothes aren\u2019t accurate \u2013 in short, just about nothing is accurate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The film was blamed in the run up to the 2014 Scottish independence referendum for a rise in anti-British sentiment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Stanley Baxter, the comedian, said it was \u201cto do with these dreadful films they\u2019ve made, anti-English films and that wretched Australian [Mel Gibson] \u2013 Braveheart \u2013 it\u2019s not even correct historically\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Cox appeared in Succession as Logan Roy, a foul-mouthed global media tycoon.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/customer\/subscribe\/01doysa\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><b>Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Braveheart is \u201ca lie\u201d, Brian Cox has said. The Scottish actor, who starred in Succession, said the Mel Gibson film about William Wallace had a \u201ccrap\u201d script and was historically inaccurate. Speaking at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, he said: \u201cThe film is just bollocks. It doesn\u2019t make any sense.\u201d Cox, 79, appeared in the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1959565,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[344607,344603,344602,344600,344604,43408,344606,344605,344608,344601],"class_list":["post-1959564","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-anti-british-sentiment","tag-argyle-wallace","tag-braveheart","tag-brian-cox","tag-edinburgh-international-book-festival","tag-mel-gibson","tag-rob-roy","tag-scottish-independence-referendum","tag-scottish-wars-of-independence","tag-william-wallace"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Brian-Cox-Braveheart-is-a-lie.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1959564","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1959564"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1959564\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1959565"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1959564"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1959564"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1959564"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}