Brian Cox is in full zero-filter mode again, and this time Margot Robbie and Daniel Day-Lewis are both in the blast zone. The ‘Succession’ star, who turns 80 this year, has made it clear that he has no interest in softening his opinions now, and his latest interview with The Times UK reads exactly like that.
Cox took fresh aim at casting choices, method acting, and the general culture of actors taking themselves too seriously. Whether people find that brutally honest or just plain rude, he does not seem especially bothered.
Brian Cox Has Thoughts on Margot Robbie’s ‘Wuthering Heights’ Casting
One of Cox’s sharpest comments centered on Margot Robbie’s casting as Cathy in the upcoming adaptation of ‘Wuthering Heights.’ Mocking the idea of Robbie in the role, Cox reportedly put on an exaggerated Australian accent before saying he did not buy the casting.
He went on to argue that Robbie is “far too beautiful” for Cathy, adding that he imagined the character needing something rougher and less glossy. He did soften the hit a little by admitting, “It may be a brilliant film.”
Cox clearly thinks the casting misses something essential about the role, and he was more than willing to say so out loud. That is the thing with him. He does not really do the vague, diplomatic version of criticism that most stars stick to.
Cox’s War on “Acting Nonsense”
Cox also revisited the long-running conversation around method acting, which has followed him ever since he criticized Jeremy Strong’s process back in 2023. Strong, of course, has often been linked to Daniel Day-Lewis as an inspiration, and Day-Lewis later told Cox to get off his “soapbox.”
Cox does not seem too rattled by that. In the new interview, he brushed off the idea that the issue had much to do with Day-Lewis, saying the actor is discreet and does not disrupt productions. He even called Strong “a wonderful actor” before targeting what he sees as all the “extra performance” around the performance.
For him, the message was simple. Stop overthinking it. Just do the work.
“Jeremy’s a fantastic actor, no doubt about it,” Cox conceded. “It’s just all the unnecessary drama that comes with his process. Look at children – they don’t ask about motivation, they just act!”
That attitude has become part of Cox’s whole public image now. He has gone after Johnny Depp, Ian McKellen, and Quentin Tarantino before, and his wife, he said, keeps warning him to be careful. Asked whether his bluntness has caused problems, he laughed it off. “I don’t want to be careful anymore,” Cox said. “I’m turning 80 this year. I’m going to say exactly what I think!”
