Brian Cox defends Bryan Singer’s on-set behaviour
Brian Cox has come out in support of his X2: X-Men United director Bryan Singer, whose reported “unprofessional” behaviour on set has been the subject of recent controversy and led to his dismissal from Bohemian Rhapsody.
Back in 2020, The Hollywood Reporter published an article detailing the alleged toxic work environment on the set of the first X-Men. The central cast apparently threatened to abandon the project due to Singer’s behaviour. Alan Cumming’s 2021 memoir added further fuel to the fire, with the actor – who starred as Nightcrawler in X2 – describing an equally tense working environment, one which led to the cast staging an intervention for Singer over the director’s reliance on painkillers.
Cox, who starred as the villain William Stryker in X2 and regards the film as one of the best in the franchise, has not only defended Singer’s on-set behaviour but praised the director in a recent interview with Yahoo! Entertainment.
Cox put Singer’s behaviour down to the director being “under a lot of strain” during production. “One of his great things was that when he came to a new set, he would have to rethink it,” the actor recalled. “He’d have a thought, and then have to rethink [the scene]. So that was always a difficult transition for him. But once he cracked it, he cracked it very quickly and was able to get on with it.”
In that same interview, Cox – star of Succession – revealed that he was Singer’s first choice for Stryker, but that some patience was required from the director and the studio. “I think he’s an extraordinary director — really, really gifted,” Cox said. “Certainly I will always be grateful to him because he had confidence in me and got me the role. I played a waiting game and it worked.”
Hugh Jackman, star of the original X-Men trilogy, has been less supportive of Singer’s behaviour. Recalling his experience of making the first film in an interview for The Guardian, the Australian actor said: “This was my first movie in America, you gotta understand; it was all so new to me. I think it’s fair to say that… There are some stories, you know… I think there are some ways of being on set that would not happen now. And I think that things have changed for the better. There’s way less tolerance for disrespectful, marginalizing, bullying, any oppressive behavior. There’s zero tolerance for it now and people will speak out, and I think that’s great.”
Bryan Singer has been sued several times since 1997, with all lawsuits either being dropped or settled in court. The director was removed from Dark Pheonix in 2019 following allegations of sexual assault. He has denied all allegations.
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