Brian Cox went on a rant against several A-list actors, including Johnny Depp and Ian McKellen, in a new interview with The Times.
The “Succession” star called Depp “overhyped” and “overrated” and said in an interview published Friday that he was relieved to turn down Jonathan Pryce’s role in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” series.
As for McKellen, Cox said his “X2” co-star’s acting was “not to my liking.”
Cox also called Edward Norton “a pain” and described Kevin Spacey as a “stupid, stupid man.”
Even the director and screenwriter were not immune to Cox’s wrath.
The 79-year-old called Quentin Tarantino “hilarious”, Michael Caton-Jones a “complete piece of shit” and David Hare “see you next Tuesday”.
Cox, who played Winston Churchill in the 2017 biopic Churchill, also opened up about Gary Oldman winning the Best Actor Oscar for playing the British Prime Minister in Darkest Hour, which was released the same year.
Cox said Oldman’s performance was a “cobbler” and a “farrago crowd-pleaser.”
Cox also objected to the casting of Margot Robbie as Cathy in the new version of the 1939 film Wuthering Heights, one of Cox’s favorite films.
“Margot Robbie is too beautiful for the role,” he told Britain’s Times.
“I mean, I think there should be more Gypsy-ness to her, but that’s the wrong thing to judge,” he added. “It could make a great movie.”
Cox also had a falling out with Daniel Day-Lewis, which began in 2023 after he criticized the acting style of his co-star Jeremy Strong in Succession. Lewis, Strong’s inspiration, told Cox last year to get off his “soap box.”
When asked if he had contacted Day-Lewis, Cox cheekily replied:
“Kids don’t say, ‘What are my motives?'” he told The Times.
Cox continued, “No, I haven’t contacted Dan Day-Lewis because I have nothing to do with him. Dan Day-Lewis, he’s very careful. He never disrupts[the filming process].”
The Emmy winner added that he didn’t want to talk anymore about Strong, 47, because his former on-screen son is “begging him to stop talking about Strong.”
“He’s a good actor, Jeremy. He’s a great actor. All the bullshit that comes with it. Look at the kids. They don’t say, ‘What’s my motive?'” They just do it! ”
After dissing a number of stars in interviews, Cox was asked if he had lost friends or caused problems by being so outspoken.
“Well, I don’t know if it caused me any problems yet,” he replied with a laugh. “I mean, my wife keeps saying, ‘Brian, be careful, Brian, be careful.'”
Cox added, “I think, ‘Fuck it, I don’t want to care anymore! I’m turning 80 this year. Fuck it! I’m going to say what I want to say.'”
