Brian Cox has said Jeremy Strong pleaded with him to stop talking about his method acting in interviews.
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Over the years, Cox has been consistently vocal about his dislike of method acting, which requires a performer to immerse themselves in a character to such an extent, they continue to behave as them between takes.
The Succession actor has spoken several times about the technique in relation to his former co-star Strong, describing his chosen process as “fucking annoying” in 2023. A year later, he further explained that a cast member remaining in character upsets production, telling the Guardian it was “not good for the ensemble” and created “hostility”.
Speaking to The Times recently, Cox said he didn’t want “to go on” about Strong, saying: “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 – they don’t say, ‘What’s my motivation?’ They just do it!”
Daniel Day-Lewis is arguably the most well-known method actor, and had previously expressed his irritation with Cox’s comments. “He’s been given a soapbox, which he shows no sign of climbing down from,” he told The Big Issue in 2025. “Any time he wants to talk about it, I’m easy to find.”
When asked by The Times if he had taken him up on his offer, Cox said: “No, I haven’t reached out, because it’s got nothing to do with Dan Day-Lewis.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Cox took aim at half of Hollywood – calling Edward Norton “a pain in the arse,” Kevin Spacey a “stupid, stupid man” and saying Ian McKellen’s acting was “not to my taste.”
He also weighed in on Margot Robbie‘s casting in Wuthering Heights, putting on a mock Australian accent and saying: “‘Keith Cliff! It’s me, Cathy! How ya doing, Keith? Awright?’ ‘Yeah, I’m awright!’”
When asked if being so blunt about his peers ever caused problems, he said: “Well, I don’t know yet if it’s caused me problems. I mean, my wife keeps saying, ‘Brian, be careful. Brian, be careful.’ I think, ‘Fuck it, I don’t want to be careful any more! I’ll be 80 this year. Fuck it! I’m gonna say what I want to say.’”
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