Brian Cox calls out actor after actor in a new profile, says Johnny Depp is ‘so overblown, so overrated,’ Edward Norton is ‘a pain in the arse,’ Ian McKellen’s acting is ‘not to my taste.’
Posted by Terrible_Cycle_5983
Brian Cox calls out actor after actor in a new profile, says Johnny Depp is ‘so overblown, so overrated,’ Edward Norton is ‘a pain in the arse,’ Ian McKellen’s acting is ‘not to my taste.’
Posted by Terrible_Cycle_5983
38 Comments
When I was growing up this is how celebrities were. They just called each other out and didn’t gaf. Now with social media and fans ready to lose their minds, people don’t do this anymore. This man is almost 80 and clearly he doesn’t care. š
>Ā The work is well paid but unchallenging, repetitive. Cox turned down the role of the governor in theĀ *Pirates of the Caribbean*Ā franchise (Jonathan Pryce played him), relieved not to work alongside Johnny Depp who he thinks is āso overblown, so overratedā.
>Latterly, that is what Cox has become known for. When the 79-year-old Scot is discussing the thespian craft, all luvvie protocols are suspended. He states his preferences with King Lear-like vigour.
>Edward Norton? āA pain in the arse.ā Kevin Spacey? āA stupid, stupid man.ā Ian McKellenās acting? āNot to my taste.ā
>He can be very decided on writers and directors too: Tarantino (āmeretriciousā); Michael Caton-Jones (āa complete arseholeā); David Hare (a āsee you next Tuesdayā).
>Cox will not hold back if he feels the āworkā is being compromised for public taste. In 2017 he played the lead in the biopicĀ *Churchill*Ā while Gary Oldman portrayed the wartime PM in a film calledĀ *Darkest Hour*Ā released later the same year. Oldman won a best actor Oscar for his performance. Cox called it ācobblersā and āa crowd-pleasing farragoā.
>Today Cox will even go āfull Dundeeā on a film he hasnāt even seen. I know Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberonās 1939 film adaptation ofĀ *Wuthering Heights*Ā is a favourite of his and wondered what he made of the new one starring Margot Robbie.
āāāKeith Cliff! Itās me, Cathy!āāā he declaims suddenly in a cod Australian accent (Robbie was once in the Australian soapĀ *Neighbours*). āāHow ya doing, Keith? Awright?ā āYeah, Iām awright!āāā
Cox enjoys a hearty chuckle before composing himself. āMargot Robbie is far too beautiful for that role. I mean, I think there should be something more of the [slur] about her but itās wrong of me to judge. It may be a brilliant film.ā
I have no strong feelings of Brian Cox, I just think it’s hilarious that every headline about him seemingly shifts public perception of him 180 degrees.
Is he woke? Is he chud?
I have no idea, but I genuinely love that he just speaks his mind without giving a shit lol
Why’s Ian McKellen catching straysšš
>On his no-holds-barred approach to discussing his craft ā and others in the industry ā Cox admitted he’s too old to care about what people think of him.
“Well, I don’t know yet if it’s caused me problems,” he said. “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 any more! I’ll be 80 this year. F— it! I’m gonna say what I want to say.'”
The Emmy winner also explained that, even thoughĀ [Daniel Day-Lewis asked him to call](https://ew.com/daniel-day-lewis-hits-back-at-brian-cox-method-acting-comments-11842538)Ā to discuss his thoughts on method acting (in light of Cox’s 2023 commentsĀ [about hisĀ *Succession*Ā costar Jeremy Strong](https://ew.com/tv/brian-cox-jeremy-strong-method-acting-succession-annoying/)’s “f—ing annoying” approach), he declined to make contact.
“No, I haven’t reached out because it’s got nothing to do with Dan Day-Lewis,” he said. “Dan Day-Lewis, he’s discreet. He never upsets it [the filming process]. He’s never, sort ofā¦ 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. He’s a wonderful actor. It’s just all the bollocks that goes with it. You watch children ā they don’t say, ‘What’s my motivation?’ They just do it!”
tbh at this point Brian Cox comes off like a real curmudgeon who only ever gives interviews to shit talk (arguably more talented) colleagues, but I do slightly envy that utter lack of caring about what other people think
To be fair I bet Johnny Depp would agree
Doesn’t want to work with Johnny Depp and finds Quentin Tarantino flashy and insincere.
Can’t argue with that
Finally some TEA, some PERSONALITEA! People are so media trained and boring these days.. which is probably a good thing
I love his dedication to hating Depp. As far as I can tell, it’s not ideological or based in any kind of personal beef, he just hates his ass.
Jonathan Pryce was one of the best parts of Pirates, so Iām glad Brian Cox turned it down.
Someone forgot to give Brian his meds.
Oh yeah? Well, I think some of his astronomy papers were badly constructed. Nuh.
I do agree Johnny Depp is overrated.
Edward Norton is obviously a great actor and seems like a decent dude outside of his job, but yeah from what I can gather it seems like heād be super annoying to work with. But also Brian Cox seems like the angriest grandpa in the nursing home so Iād imagine heās no spring picnic either.
I’m sure he’s just repeating himself now or The Times is just condensing his greatest hits, along with new bits. LadBible reported on the article, writing Cox called Edward Norton a pain in the ass because he fancies himself as a writer-director. Cox said that list bit in a 2022 Vanity Fair article, but just calls Norton a “a pain in the arse” in the new Times piece.
The bits about Depp were also from Cox’s 2022 Vanity Fair article.
The bit about Kevin Spacey was also mentioned in Cox’s 2025 interview with The Telegraph, where he called Spacey a “great talent” but a stupid man.
look brian i can get behind slagging off the other two but do NOT come for sir ian
I do enjoy old man rants sometimes even if I don’t agree with everything (Love Ian)
Sorry but every actor could get a “it’s funny!” pass from me if I was able to imagine Logan Roy lashing out, I enjoyed watching that old bastard too much.
Bros a professional hater
donāt know much about this man but he kinda eats
https://preview.redd.it/oyh1yrjd31tg1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2ee263d92a22600d60b51e1a582d995b83f01434
Dudeās such a curmudgeonly old windbag. Always up his own ass. Really well cast in Succession. Good actor though. Or just filmed while being himself, not sure.
Lol dude threw media training out the window and said Iām 80 I donāt give a shit anymore. Makes sense.
Honestly when I get to a certain age Iām just gonna start saying whatever
Brian Cox just randomly shit talking everyone else in town for no reason is my current favorite Hollywood running gag.
Ba da ba ba ba…I’m lovin’ this.
If you read this interview as him in the character Langrishe that he plays in the HBO show Deadwood, it works very, very well.Ā
Love it
Stick to physics, Brian.
/s
Really going for the kills before he’s out of time eh?
Messy man, accurate reads.
If actors can not discuss the arts who can
He is right about Johnny Depp.
Brian Cox is a super ham so he has no business calling out Mckellen.
I was never a Depp fan he always seemed soulless.