“I’m a sucker for seeing them”: the actors Brian Cox called extraordinary
Logan Roy may well go down as the defining role of his career – and it’s definitely the one that gave him the most success and recognition – but Brian Cox isn’t too dissimilar from the short-tempered patriarch of Succession‘s dysfunctional central clan.
The veteran actor has become just as famous for his off-screen tirades as he has his on-screen exploits, with Cox happy to aim both barrels at anything that doesn’t take his fancy and let rip. He’s emerged as a celebrity curmudgeon to rival even the notoriously bristly Ridley Scott, which takes some doing.
The grizzled Scotsman despises method acting, can’t sanction the notion of Johnny Depp’s existence, and he tore Steven Seagal to shreds. As such, he generally gives off the impression that he’s a man who has a very specific and highly defined idea of what he likes, and there aren’t many things that fulfil the remit.
However, he did display a much softer side when casting his attention to the actors who blew him away with their performances, going so far as to name one particular series as his comfort show. This being Cox, though, it was a riveting drama that didn’t shy away from the downsides that come with fame, fortune, and success.
“Well, I liked The Queen’s Gambit a lot,” he mused to Reader’s Digest. “I thought Anya Taylor-Joy gave an extraordinary performance.” That she certainly did, with the fast-rising star earning a Golden Globe win for ‘Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film’ and a Primetime Emmy nomination for ‘Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie’ by embodying chess prodigy Beth Harmon.
That was as modern as he got, and by quite some distance, with Cox focusing his attention on a pair of ‘Golden Age’ stalwarts who’ve been a staple part of his cinematic diet since his earliest years. By his own admission, he’s a huge fan of vintage film, and he knows exactly who his favourites are.
“And I just love old movies. I’m a sucker for seeing them,” he explained. “I watch something called Turner Classic Movies and the Criterion Channel. There was a season on there for Jean Arthur, whom I absolutely adore. She’s an extraordinary actress; she’s quite comedic, but she was like glass, there was a fragility about her, but also a strength. She’s a wonderful, wonderful actress, and one that I really admire.”
Barbara Stanwyck was the second icon Cox couldn’t help but share his admiration for, putting her in the same boat as Arthur. “Those women I find extraordinary,” he said. “They’re fragile, but they have this inner strength, which is quite stunning, you know, absolutely stunning.” They might be separated by decades, but the common thread between Taylor-Joy, Arthur, and Stanwyck is that they all get a thumbs-up in his book.
