Actor Brian Cox has opened up about how he feels toward a wide range of fellow celebrities in his new book. The 75-year-old star of hit series, Succession, has been a professional actor since 1965, and over time, he’s amassed an impressive list of credits on a diverse range of film and television productions. Some of his more well-known performances can be seen in the first two Bourne films, HBO’s Deadwood, Wes Anderson’s Rushmore and the RED series.
Given the competitive state of Hollywood and the film industry in general, any career that lasts as long as Cox’s has is a remarkable feat. The chance to work with an extensive array of acclaimed stars is a privilege that certainly shouldn’t be taken lightly, and yet there’s no shortage of stars who are more than willing to criticize others or share stories about working with actors whose real-life demeanor is nothing like it is on camera. That being said, when it comes to actors who have spent the better part of their lives working in film and television, a certain degree of tact is typically a given. Cox has never been shy about his confidence in himself as an actor, and that confidence has arguably never been more apparent than recently.
With his new autobiography, Putting the Rabbit in the Hat, having recently been released, just what the Emmy-winning star has to say about fame might surprise some. In fact, it’s not so much the subject of fame that Cox takes aim at, but other celebrities, like Quentin Tarantino, David Bowie, and Johnny Depp. Thanks to the official Twitter account of The Big Issue, some rather surprising statements that Cox made in his book have become public knowledge. Check out some of the tweets below to see some of the veteran actor’s more surprising opinions:
It’s likely that few people would argue with someone like Steven Seagal having his share of bizarre moments over the course of his career, but Cox’s assertion that the likes of Tarantino, Depp, and Bowie are somehow lacking is borderline blasphemy for some. His disdain for Bowie as an actor is sure to rub Bowie’s vast legion of fans the wrong way, as the late performer – who is widely regarded as a musical genius – has amassed a dedicated following for his role as Jareth in the Jim Henson classic, Labyrinth, as well as critically acclaimed roles in The Man Who Fell to Earth and Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ. The same could be said for Depp, who, despite his more recent personal troubles, is hard to fault for his performance as Edward Scissorhands in Tim Burton’s 1990 moody hit of the same name.
Last but not least, of course, is Cox’s dismissal of Tarantino’s work and for admitting that he walked out of Pulp Fiction. It’s fair enough to admit to not liking the multi-Oscar-winning filmmaker’s work, and walk-outs at Tarantino screenings are certainly not unheard of, but Cox’s admission that he’d be willing to star in one of Tarantino’s films “if the phone rang” is pure arrogance. Being entitled to an opinion is one thing, but Brian Cox’s disregard of the work of others only to admit that he’d like to be a part of that same work is a hard issue to reconcile.
Source: The Big Issue