Succession star Brian Cox is not holding back as he calls out some of his least-liked Hollywood faces in a fiery new memoir – that would make his character Logan Roy proud.
According to excerpts taken from his book Putting The Rabbit In The Hat, the actor, who is 75 years old, lists a few A-listers he doesn’t think live up to their reputations.
The acting legend does not seem to be worried about his famous friends taking offense, and he shared that he won’t be surprised if he does not ‘hear from some people again.’
Cox recounts in one section of his memoir how he declined the Governor role in Depp’s Pirates Of The Caribbean. This was eventually filled by Jonathan Pryce.

Telling it as it is: Brian Cox, 75 years old, is full of criticisms of Johnny Depp and Quentin Tarantino in his memoir Putting A Rabbit In The Hat. This excerpt was taken from The Big Issue.
Cox is furious at Depp’s ‘overrated status’.
“Personable though he may be, he is not.” So overblown, So overrated,’ Cox complained.
‘I mean, Edward Scissorhands. Let’s face the facts, if you have pale, scarred-faced hands, you don’t need to do anything. And he didn’t,’ he writes.
The Manhunter actor also took a dig at Depp’s less-recognized work.
‘And subsequently, he’s done even less,’ he added.

Dodged a bullet: ‘Personable though I’m sure he is, is so overblown, so overrated,’ Cox complained of Depp, whom he almost worked with on Pirates Of The Caribbean; seen October 19 in Belgrade, Serbia

Ouch! ‘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,’ he writes
Cox also had harsh words about Quentin Tarantino (Once Upon A Time In Hollywood)
“I find his work to be a bit trite. It’s all surface. Plot mechanics replace depth. Style where there should be substance. He shared that he walked out from Pulp Fiction.
Cox doesn’t like Tarantino’s style so he hasn’t worked for Tarantino. But he wouldn’t mind a paycheck if it ever came up.
‘That said, if the phone rang, I’d do it,’ he added.
Cox was even more harsh with Steven Seagal who he played opposite on his 1996 police thriller The Glimmer Man.
He didn’t like Seagal’s’studied serenity’, which he thought was just a ‘ludicrous’.
He wrote that Steven Seagal is as ridiculous in real life and on screen as he appears. ‘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.’

Not a fan: Cox wrote that Quentin Tarantino was ‘all surface’ and that he sported’style where substance should be’. He also said that he walked out of Pulp Fiction; he was seen in Rome on October 19.
Cox’s barbs were too harsh for even beloved artists like David Bowie.
The pair appeared together on Redcap, a British military series in the 1960s. He was not impressed by the future music icon’s acting.
He was a skinny kid and not a very good actor. Bowie was his better pop star, that is for sure.
Cox was mixed on Michael Caine. He applauded Caine’s brand, but he lamented his lack of range.
‘I wouldn’t describe Michael as my favorite, but he’s Michael Caine,’ he writes. “An institution. Being an institution is better than having range.
His costar Edward Norton, with whom he appeared in Spike Lee’s modern masterpiece 25th Hour was called out for being presumptuous.
‘He’s a nice lad but a bit of a pain in the a** because he fancies himself as a writer-director,’ he quipped.

Stick to music: Cox and David Bowie appeared on the 1960s British military show Redcaps, and he called him ‘a skinny kid, and not a particularly good actor,’ though he thought he was a better pop star; seen in 2010 in NYC

Limited range: Succession’s star Michael Caine admitted that he had a strong brand but said that being an institution would always beat having range. Cox is seen on Succession
According to The Big Issue Cox also has harsh words to say about his acting co-stars Gary Oldman, Daniel Day Lewis, and John Hurt. Michael Gambon is also frequently criticized.
The Scottish actor isn’t out to settle scores. He also gives praise for other actors that have inspired him.
Keanu Reeves seems like he has won him over as the years go by. Cox calls him a “seeker” who has “actually become quite good over time.”
Cox mentioned that Alan Rickman received the most warm words from any of his contemporaries.
He calls the Harry Potter actor ‘one of the sweetest, kindest, nicest and most incredibly smart men I’ve ever met.’
‘Prior to acting he’d been a graphic designer and he brought the considered, laser-like precision of that profession to his work,’ he adds.

Improving with age. Keanu Reeves said that he had actually become rather great over the years’. He was spotted in LA in 2019.

Respect: Alan Rickman received some the most sincere words of any of his contemporaries. Cox calls him ‘one of the sweetest, kindest, nicest and most incredibly smart men I’ve ever met’; Rickman seen in 2003 in London
Cox also applauded Morgan Freeman and called him an “absolute gentleman”, after he kept his cool in a difficult shoot.
He said that Morgan Freeman was the Unforgiven Star. The Morgan Freeman you’d like to meet. The Morgan Freeman you meet in your dreams.
Cox confessed to the publication that none his closest friends had read his memoir and that he was worried about how it would affect some of their lives.
‘I’m expecting probably never to hear from some people again. But that’s the way it goes,’ he said nonchalantly.

Burned bridges. Cox stated that he expected to ‘probably never hear from’ his friends after he wrote his memoir. Featured on Succession