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Post by frappuccino on Nov 1, 2021 1:25:20 GMT
Succession's Brian Cox calls Johnny Depp "so overrated" in new book
Cox pulls no punches in print.
BY STEPHANIE CHASE
29/10/2021
Succession - Season 3 Official Trailer (HBO)
Succession star Brian Cox has pulled no punches in his autobiography Putting the Rabbit in the Hat.
The Logan Roy actor has some harsh words for some of his former co-stars and even one he chose not to work with.
In the book, Cox reveals he turned down the role of the Governor in Pirates of the Caribbean and shares his thoughts on the franchise's star Johnny Depp.
"Personable though I’m sure he is, is so overblown, so overrated," Cox writes (via The Big Issue).
"I mean, Edward Scissorhands. Let’s face it, if you come on with hands like that and pale, scarred-face make-up, you don’t have to do anything. And he didn’t. And subsequently, he’s done even less."
Speaking about his 25th Hour co-star Edward Norton, Cox also writes: "He’s a nice lad but a bit of a pain in the arse because he fancies himself as a writer-director."
One actor who Cox does actually have kind words to say about is, unsurprisingly, the late Harry Potter star Alan Rickman.
Cox called Rickman "one of the sweetest, kindest, nicest and most incredibly smart men I’ve ever met", adding: "Prior to acting he’d been a graphic designer and he brought the considered, laser-like precision of that profession to his work."
Putting the Rabbit in the Hat: the fascinating memoir by acting legend and Succession star
Related: Succession season 3 release date, cast, plot, trailer and everything you need to know
Speaking to The Big Issue, Cox said none of his fellow Hollywood stars mentioned in the book had read it yet but he's expecting to have a shorter Christmas card list this year.
"I’m expecting probably never to hear from some people again," he said. "But that’s the way it goes."
Succession season 3 airs on HBO in the US, and Sky Atlantic and NOW in the UK.
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Post by frappuccino on Nov 1, 2021 1:28:20 GMT
Johnny Depp:
“Personable though I’m sure he is, is so overblown, so overrated. I mean, Edward Scissorhands. Let’s face it, if you come on with hands like that and pale, scarred-face make-up, you don’t have to do anything. And he didn’t. And subsequently, he’s done even less.”
Quentin Tarantino:
“I find his work meretricious. It’s all surface. Plot mechanics in place of depth. Style where there should be substance. I walked out of Pulp Fiction…That said, if the phone rang, I’d do it.”
Michael Caine:
“I wouldn’t describe Michael as my favourite, but he’s Michael Caine. An institution. And being an institution will always beat having range.”
David Bowie:
“A skinny kid, and not a particularly good actor. He made a better pop star, that much is for certain.
Ed Norton:
“He’s a nice lad but a bit of a pain in the arse because he fancies himself as a writer-director.”
Christopher Walken + Jonathan Pryce:
“Christopher Walken was somewhat bemused by Jonathan Pryce, which is understandable, Jonathan being an interesting fish, kind of dark and gloomy at times. And if you can freak out Christopher Walken…
Steven Seagal:
“Steven Seagal is as ludicrous in real life as he appears on screen. He radiates a studied serenity, as though he’s on a higher plane to the rest of us, and while he’s certainly on a different plane, no doubt about that, it’s probably not a higher one.”
There are apparently also still Gary Oldman, Daniel Day Lewis, John Hurt, and (frequent) Michael Gambon lashings still to come.
Bonus: He had nothing but praise for Alan Rickman: “One of the sweetest, kindest, nicest and most incredibly smart men I’ve ever met. Prior to acting he’d been a graphic designer and he brought the considered, laser-like precision of that profession to his work.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Nov 1, 2021 8:40:38 GMT
Miriam Margoyles doesn’t hold back in her recent autobiography. I haven’t read it, I can’t stand her, but my friend says she’s absolutely vicious about several people especially Glenda Jackson.
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Post by theglenbucklaird on Nov 1, 2021 8:42:47 GMT
Love the Sky at Night, the new programme is boss
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Post by frappuccino on Nov 2, 2021 7:03:58 GMT
Wonder why he hates Michael Gambon? Most HP fans think he was a bad Dumbledore. I think his Johnny Depp comment is true.
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Post by frappuccino on Nov 2, 2021 7:04:30 GMT
Miriam Margoyles doesn’t hold back in her recent autobiography. I haven’t read it, I can’t stand her, but my friend says she’s absolutely vicious about several people especially Glenda Jackson. She said John Cleese was mean to her |
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Post by lynette on Nov 2, 2021 16:02:03 GMT
Got myself the Cox and the Atkins for some entertaining reading now the days are shorter……
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Post by Rory on Nov 2, 2021 22:37:22 GMT
I've got the Cox, Cumming, Atkins, Margolyes and the Joan Collins! Will keep me going for a while! I'm a sucker for a showbiz bio!
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Post by Marwood on Nov 2, 2021 23:49:05 GMT
I went to his book launch at the Palladium the other night (I got a half price ticket including a signed book, and there were hundreds of them left unclaimed on seats at the end of the evening which shows how highly he is thought of by the general public): we were asked to text questions to him, I sent one asking what it was like working with Spike Lee and Edward Norton on 25th Hour that didn’t get asked, just as well going by that quote from the book but I think he has been having a serious amount of smoke blown up his arse telling him he is the best thing since sliced bread , I have not seen Succession and am not in a rush to see it but he seems to now think he is Gods gift but he has always been a supporting actor to me rather than a lead character.
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Post by frappuccino on Nov 3, 2021 0:22:42 GMT
The book seems to be getting a lot of media attention. Probably becaude he doesn't hold back when it comes to insulting others.
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Post by lynette on Nov 3, 2021 15:00:15 GMT
I went to his book launch at the Palladium the other night (I got a half price ticket including a signed book, and there were hundreds of them left unclaimed on seats at the end of the evening which shows how highly he is thought of by the general public): we were asked to text questions to him, I sent one asking what it was like working with Spike Lee and Edward Norton on 25th Hour that didn’t get asked, just as well going by that quote from the book but I think he has been having a serious amount of smoke blown up his arse telling him he is the best thing since sliced bread , I have not seen Succession and am not in a rush to see it but he seems to now think he is Gods gift but he has always been a supporting actor to me rather than a lead character. I first saw Brian Cox when he was at the Birmingham Rep - the old one - and he took the lead roles, Orlando for example and was very good. He has continued to work in whatever roles he was asked to do as most actors do, leading or not. His work in McPherson’s plays was always amazing. I rate him highly. He might be a difficult person himself, who knows, but saying he is a supporting actor only is wrong. ( not to mention that supporting is pretty important anyway but you know what I mean) He is quite brilliant in Succession. Not the only one to turn in something good but he carries the weight of the plot, being its mainspring without becoming a parody of that character. I would recommend Succession , from the very beginning, because it does have some pretty good Brits in it and all the actors are worth a look. |
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Post by Marwood on Nov 3, 2021 20:19:41 GMT
I’ve only seen him once on stage, in The Weir at the Donmar (which I don’t remember an awful lot about to be honest), but seeing him on screen in stuff like Troy and Rushmore (which they showed a clip from at the Palladium), he has always been a bit part player, playing either the leads father or a villain.
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Post by jojo on Nov 9, 2021 10:49:39 GMT
He's a good actor, but I can't take to him as a person. Being rude about your contemporaries isn't a substitute for an interesting or thoughtful personality. I have a friend who worked at the university who said he was very 'handsy' with the woman who helped him with his robes when he was getting an honorary degree. I'd hope that to be a one off (he'd apparently had a drink by the time he'd turned up), but he's quoted as saying that he worries about #metoo and what it means for young men and his two sons, which makes me wonder if he's also worried about himself.  |
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Post by frappuccino on Nov 10, 2021 2:35:31 GMT
He's a good actor, but I can't take to him as a person. Being rude about your contemporaries isn't a substitute for an interesting or thoughtful personality. I have a friend who worked at the university who said he was very 'handsy' with the woman who helped him with his robes when he was getting an honorary degree. I'd hope that to be a one off (he'd apparently had a drink by the time he'd turned up), but he's quoted as saying that he worries about #metoo and what it means for young men and his two sons, which makes me wonder if he's also worried about himself. Yikes! |
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Post by alnoor on Nov 10, 2021 13:15:25 GMT
1987 my first trip to Stratford. Stayed there for a whole week
Amongst lots of plays I saw Brian Cox in Taming of the shrew, Titus Andronicus and Fashion
Fashion was completely sold out so I queued for day seats.
Wonderful memories
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Post by emsworthian on Nov 11, 2021 10:38:55 GMT
I went to his book launch at the Palladium the other night (I got a half price ticket including a signed book, and there were hundreds of them left unclaimed on seats at the end of the evening which shows how highly he is thought of by the general public): we were asked to text questions to him, I sent one asking what it was like working with Spike Lee and Edward Norton on 25th Hour that didn’t get asked, just as well going by that quote from the book but I think he has been having a serious amount of smoke blown up his arse telling him he is the best thing since sliced bread , I have not seen Succession and am not in a rush to see it but he seems to now think he is Gods gift but he has always been a supporting actor to me rather than a lead character. I love Succession and I think Brian Cox is great in it but it seems to be very niche - at least over here (I don't know what the ratings are like in the US). On BBC's Pointless a little while ago there was a fairly easy question about Succession which was a pointless answer which indicates that none of the 100 people surveyed for the show had heard of Succession.
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Post by asfound on Nov 11, 2021 13:14:56 GMT
I went to his book launch at the Palladium the other night (I got a half price ticket including a signed book, and there were hundreds of them left unclaimed on seats at the end of the evening which shows how highly he is thought of by the general public): we were asked to text questions to him, I sent one asking what it was like working with Spike Lee and Edward Norton on 25th Hour that didn’t get asked, just as well going by that quote from the book but I think he has been having a serious amount of smoke blown up his arse telling him he is the best thing since sliced bread , I have not seen Succession and am not in a rush to see it but he seems to now think he is Gods gift but he has always been a supporting actor to me rather than a lead character. I love Succession and I think Brian Cox is great in it but it seems to be very niche - at least over here (I don't know what the ratings are like in the US). On BBC's Pointless a little while ago there was a fairly easy question about Succession which was a pointless answer which indicates that none of the 100 people surveyed for the show had heard of Succession.
Strange, but I suppose other "greatest show on television" contenders back in the day e.g. Sopranos, The Wire, Six Feet Under, Mad Men were also kind of unappreciated by the general audience while they were being broadcast. When I was watching the first season of Succession based on Jesse Armstrong being the showrunner, I didn't know a single person who had even heard of it. There didn't even seem to be much press attention either. |
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Post by couldileaveyou on Nov 14, 2021 21:45:06 GMT
I've got the Cox, Cumming, Atkins, Margolyes and the Joan Collins! Will keep me going for a while! I'm a sucker for a showbiz bio! |
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Post by Jan on Nov 15, 2021 7:23:12 GMT
Wonder why he hates Michael Gambon? Most HP fans think he was a bad Dumbledore. I think his Johnny Depp comment is true. I mentioned this book over in the Performers and Creatives thread under Brian Cox and put a couple of Gambon anecdotes (which I assume are in the book as they were in a review of it). One of them makes Gambon sounds awful and easy to hate. He (Gambon) is a very odd character. |
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Post by Jon on Nov 15, 2021 16:30:12 GMT
Michael Gambon said while being carted to the hospital after feeling unwell during a rehearsal of People which he pulled out of shortly after: 'Don't worry about those bastards, they're already on the phone to Simon Russell Beale!'
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Post by Jan on Nov 15, 2021 17:10:32 GMT
Michael Gambon said while being carted to the hospital after feeling unwell during a rehearsal of People which he pulled out of shortly after: 'Don't worry about those bastards, they're already on the phone to Simon Russell Beale!' He thought they'd cast him before contacting Simon Russell Beale ? |
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Post by Jan on Nov 15, 2021 17:13:53 GMT
Miriam Margoyles doesn’t hold back in her recent autobiography. I haven’t read it, I can’t stand her, but my friend says she’s absolutely vicious about several people especially Glenda Jackson. I used to live next door to her. Unrelated to this fact I can't stand her either. I'm sure Glenda Jackson couldn't care less what Margoyles thinks about her, nor should she. |
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Nov 15, 2021 19:03:27 GMT
I once witnessed MM waft up to Maxine Peake after a performance of her critically acclaimed Hamlet and say “oh I didn’t tell you I was coming because it’s terrible unfair on actors if they know that *I* am watching.”
Then say “well I see there are adoring fans waiting for your autograph” while waving her hand towards a (hilariously furious) Hollywood movie producer.
She has a truly awe-inspiring level of self-confidence.
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Post by altamont on Nov 26, 2021 10:32:05 GMT
For those who use a Kindle, Brian Cox's book is on offer for 99p today
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Post by emsworthian on Dec 1, 2021 8:03:04 GMT
For those who use a Kindle, Brian Cox's book is on offer for 99p today Thanks for the tip, altamont. I downloaded it, read it and found it an enjoyable read, if somewhat rambling. (Especially in the early section about his childhood. He seems to think that if he doesn't shoe-horn in an anecdote about a famous person on every page, the reader will get bored.)
It is a shame Marwood didn't get to ask a question about Spike Lee as Cox really rates him as a director and goes into quite a bit of detail about his mastery of film techniques. Cox says it is a shame that Lee is known as the "black film director" rather than one of the all time great directors, like Hitchcok or Bergman. Just don't ask Cox anything about Harry Potter.
I was surprised about the "hands-on" at the University robing story on this thread as Cox is very supportive in the book of the Me-Too movement.
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