Brian Cox entertained attendees of the Edinburgh Television Festival on the third and final day of Friday with stories from throughout his career, while emphasizing that he couldn’t share much. Heir.
“The HBO Gestapo element is present,” Cox said, “because they don’t want me to talk about Heir. He suggested people don’t ask about the hit show, which last year was refreshed for the season, before revealing some behind-the-scenes insights and thoughts on his character, the media mogul. and patriarch Logan Roy in the hit series.
The two-time Emmy and Olivier award-winning star said Heir Creator Jesse Armstrong is “an absolute genius,” but actors often receive scripts just two days before shooting. “Getting a script is like getting gold,” he said, quipping: “I love learning lines.”
He worked on over 200 movies and TV shows before appearing around the world in Heir. Cox recalls suggesting early on that his character might be Scottish, but Armstrong initially disagreed before making the change and let the character be from Dundee just like the actor himself. “We thought it was going to be a bit of a surprise,” the creator told him later when asked about his change of mind, Cox shared. “Those are the damn writers for you.”
When asked about his character, Cox said he liked that “he’s self-sufficient unlike… Trump,” Rupert Murdoch, Conrad Black and other real people. “A profound disappointment in human experimentation,” Cox said of the things he had in common with Logan Roy, but assumed his character would “hate me” and think, “I wish Brian Cox will be silent.” He summed up their shared worldview as “fucking humans,” but expressed optimism that things could improve for the better, something he thinks Roy is lacking.
The actor also quipped that he “never swore so much” until playing the role of Roy.
Addressing the character’s main weakness, Cox also said of Roy: “His curse is that he loves his children.”
Asked about having played various baddies, Cox suggested that he can seem “vaguely threatening” to people.
Touching on hopes of Scottish independence, Cox said he’d rather see “my country free” rather than “at the mercy” of a central British government.
Criticizing “corrupt” politics, he called Boris Johnson’s UK government “absolutely appalling.” used to mock independence.
When asked about expanding Scotland’s studio facilities, Cox said: “I don’t think the future is any brighter.” But he also noted: “They want to make Scottish films, and I am not opposed to Scottish films,” but Scottish film crews should work on all types of content, he argues. He recalled that in a scene in Glasgow, the crew once built an apartment in San Francisco.
“Scotland is very open to business… and we already have people doing that,” he concluded. “I just want to see Scotland get unique desserts.” He also recalled: “We lost Brave Heart (mainly to Ireland) because we don’t have (financial) incentives. ”
Cox on Friday also shared that he hopes to shoot his first film as a director, previously announced. Glenrothanabout a family-owned whiskey distillery in Scotland, next year.
The star started her appearance with laughs. “How am I so ridiculously fat,” Cox joked after seeing a clip of him in some of his iconic roles.
Among others, Scot has worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre, and played supporting roles in Rob Roy (1995) and Mel Gibson’s Brave Heart (1995). He was also the first actor to play Hannibal Lecter in a movie in Manhunter (1986).
At Friday’s festival, he was interviewed by Angus Robertson, the Scottish government’s secretary of state for constitution, foreign affairs and culture.
