It appears Brian Cox has learned a thing or two during his three seasons spent playing the tyrannical Logan Roy. The Emmy nominee seems to be channeling his scathing Succession persona in his upcoming memoir, Putting the Rabbit in the Hat. Unlike @deuxmoi blind items or premeditated soundbites, Cox is naming names while reflecting on his storied career in Hollywood.
The Big Issue excerpted some of Cox’s most vicious burns on Thursday, including a particularly harsh assessment of Johnny Depp. Cox, who declined a role in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, writes of Depp: “Personable though I’m sure he is, is so overblown, so overrated. I mean, Edward Scissorhands. Let’s face it, if you come on with hands like that and pale, scarred-face makeup, you don’t have to do anything. And he didn’t. And subsequently, he’s done even less.”
Cox’s ruthless evaluations don’t end there. Writing about filmmaker Quentin Tarantino, Cox says, “I find his work meretricious. It’s all surface. Plot mechanics in place of depth. Style where there should be substance. I walked out of Pulp Fiction,” adding the caveat, “That said, if the phone rang, I’d do it.” He also takes aim at Steven Seagal, his Glimmer Man costar, who “is as ludicrous in real life as he appears onscreen. He radiates a studied serenity, as though he’s on a higher plane to the rest of us, and while he’s certainly on a different plane, no doubt about that, it’s probably not a higher one.”
Cox is (slightly) more forgiving when it comes to Michael Caine: “I wouldn’t describe Michael as my favorite, but he’s Michael Caine. An institution. And being an institution will always beat having range.” As for his 25th Hour costar Edward Norton: “He’s a nice lad but a bit of a pain in the arse because he fancies himself as a writer-director.”
Despite all of Cox’s wrath, there is also admiration for the likes of Keanu Reeves, who he writes has “actually become rather good over the years,” and Morgan Freeman, “an absolute gentleman” and “the Morgan Freeman you would hope to meet.” Cox also has kind words for the late Alan Rickman, describing him as “one of the sweetest, kindest, nicest, and most incredibly smart men I’ve ever met.”
Cox clearly hasn’t minced words when it comes to his tell-all, something he knows will ruffle feathers. “I’m expecting probably never to hear from some people again. But that’s the way it goes,” he tells The Big Issue, probably while wearing a pair of tinted shades. Never has Kendall Roy’s “L to the O.G.” rap been so deserved.
Putting the Rabbit in the Hat will be released on January 18, 2022.
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