Brian Cox Dismisses Method Acting As “American Sh*t” & Disses ‘Billions’ As “Past Its Sell-By Date”

Is Brian Cox on a tear this week or what? The “Succession” star had tongue-lashings to serve for everything from method acting to Showtime‘s “Billions” this week. That’s not surprising for an actor known to dole out barbs against his fellow thespians, but two Cox takedowns in a day? That’s a gift that keeps on giving.

The first story comes from The Hollywood Reporter, which reports that Cox had some brusque words about method acting during a post-screening Q&A at the Toronto International Film Festival. “I don’t hold a lot of the American sh*t, having to have a religious experience every time you play a part. It’s crap,” said the Scottish actor about the technique. So, no, great as he is on the show, Cox doesn’t wholly immerse himself in the role of Logan Roy’s media-empire patriarch on “Succession.” “I don’t hang onto the characters I play,” he continued. “I let them go through me. The thing is to be ready to accept, as an actor. You stand there, you’re ready to accept whatever is thrown at you.”

Cox’s comments came after the premiere of his latest film “Prisoner’s Daugther,” with Kate Beckinsale, Tyson Ritter, and Christopher Convery. The family drama stars Cox as Max, a convict granted a compassionate release after a terminal cancer diagnosis who spends his last days with his estranged daughter. During that time, he also gets to know his grandson, who he otherwise would have never met.

While Cox compared his role as Max with his one in “Succession,” he ascribed character dynamics, not method acting, as what motivates his performances. “Max was a great role, no question. He was always on retreat, as a father,” Cox continued, ” [but] Logan is a different character altogether. He’s not on retreat. Except, deep down, he is. But his reactions come on the front foot, because of his background.” Cox also mocked his background in the British theater in the process. “So you allow people to come through you. We’re British. We come from a ‘great tradition,'” he jibed, “You just let it come through you. And you don’t get in the f*cking way.”

Cox’s comments echo those his Emmy-winning “Succession” co-star Jeremy Strong made in a New Yorker profile last year. “If I have any method at all, it is simply this: to clear away anything — anything — that is not the character and the circumstances of the scene,” said Strong. Strong got some flak for his comments last year; will Cox receive any backlash for his?

And speaking of “Succession,” Deadline reports that Cox hopes the HBO show ends before it overstays its welcome with critics and fans. When the Times Of London asked the actor about a potential fifth season of the series, Cox replied, “I don’t know. No one’s had their contracts renewed. Who knows how long it will go on? We don’t want it to overstay its welcome, like [Showtime’s] “Billions“; that’s past its sell-by date. That will not happen with our show.” Sounds like Cox isn’t a fan of “Billions,” which should stoke the fires of the HBO-Showtime rivalry.  

But then again, Cox isn’t one to hold his tongue regarding his opinions vis-á-vis Hollywood and its players. In his 2021 memoir “Putting The Rabbit In The Hat,” Cox had choice words for people as varied as Johnny Depp, Ed Norton, Steven Segal, and Quentin Tarantino. He’s since walked back some of his comments on Depp, but Cox is notorious for not holding back about how he feels when other actors usually do. These two stories reinforce that.

Season 4 of “Succession” is currently in production, set for a release next year on HBO. As for a fifth (and final?) season, stay tuned on that front.