Brian Cox Slams Johnny Depp, Ian McKellen, Edward Norton in Latest Broadside at Fellow Actors

brian cox unleashed a string of blunt criticisms of fellow actors, a director and President Donald Trump in a wide-ranging interview as he promotes his latest film and other projects.

What Brian Cox said

The actor delivered a series of unfiltered remarks aimed at peers and public figures. Highlights from the conversation include:

• On Johnny Depp: Cox said he turned down a role in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise because he did not want to work with the actor, whom he called “so overblown, so overrated. “
• On Gary Oldman: Having worked with Oldman on a Churchill biopic, Cox described Oldman’s performance as “cobblers” and “a crowd-pleasing farrago. “
• On Ian McKellen: He judged McKellen’s performances “not to my taste. “
• On Margot Robbie: Of a casting choice, he said “Margot Robbie is far too beautiful for that role. “
• On Quentin Tarantino: He called Tarantino “Meretricious” and contrasted his own approach—”I like to honor the actor’s performance”—with what he sees in a Tarantino film.
• On Donald Trump: Cox said, “Trump doesn’t give a shit about the people. He’s only interested in the oil [in Iran]. There’s just sheer fucking greed motivating him, nothing else. The idea he’s liberating people is a nonsense. “

How the remarks sit with his work and public posture

The comments arrive while he is promoting a new film he directed, Glenrothan, and after he noted ironically that he had just filmed a new series of ads for McDonald’s Happy Meals. He has been publicly outspoken before, having criticized a fellow cast member’s method acting as “fucking annoying, ” and said that the colleague had begged him to stop discussing it. On whether the repeated griping has cost him anything, he said he did not yet know if it had caused problems; he also recounted his wife telling him to be careful and concluded, “Fuck it! I’m gonna say what I want to say, ” noting he will be 80 this year.

Who wins, who loses and what to watch next

These remarks reinforce a pattern of candid commentary tied to his public profile: the actor is simultaneously promoting creative work, accepting commercial voiceover assignments, and speaking bluntly about colleagues and public figures. That mix keeps attention focused on him but also raises questions about professional relationships and public reception. His admission that he does not yet know whether the comments have caused problems underscores uncertainty in how peers and audiences will respond over time.

Readers should note the contrast in his remarks: a willingness to criticize peers and public figures openly, alongside participation in commercial projects and the promotion of his own directorial work. The coming weeks of publicity around his film and advertisements will be the next concrete indicators of whether his outspokenness affects collaboration opportunities or box-office and commercial outcomes. brian cox