Brian Cox slammed the acting method and admitted it was “f**king boring” when his Succession co-star Jeremy Strong stays in character on set.
The Scottish actor, 76, dismissed the performance exercise used by Jeremy, 44, and said filming didn’t have to be a ‘big religious experience’.
Brian, who plays family patriarch Logan Roy, said his on-screen son Jeremy, 44, was ‘gifted’ but insisted he wouldn’t ‘lose’ his talent in n embodying his off-screen persona.
Appearing on the cover of Town and Country, Brian said he was able to portray a character: “It’s just there and it’s accessible, it’s not a big f**king religious experience.”
When asked what it was like to be with someone who’s still in character, he added, “Oh that’s f**king boring, don’t make me go on.”
Method acting refers to a rehearsal technique when actors fully occupy their roles both on and off screen, and has been used by Jared Leto in Suicide Squad, Andrew Garfield in Silence, and Marlon Brando.
Brian then praised Jeremy’s talent, but argued that his co-star should “celebrate” his gift rather than constantly stay in character as Kendall Roy.
He said: ‘He’s f**king gifted, when you have the gift, celebrate the gift. Go back to your trailer and take a puff of marijuana, you know? »
His comments came as he posed up a storm in a series of suave photographs for a sensational magazine cover shoot, including photos of himself in an animal print dressing gown.
Speaking of Succession, Brian described HBO’s popular comedy-drama series as “satirical” and a “criticism” that explores themes of law.
Brian said viewers appreciated the “selfishness” of the characters and admitted he had a secret “affection” for the formidable Logan, describing him as a “misunderstood” man.
His comments came in opposition to Jeremy, who previously admitted he didn’t see the fun side of his character Kendall or the show as a whole.
In December 2021, his co-star Kieran Culkin and executive producer Adam McKay admitted that Jeremy did not consider the program to be comedic.
Speaking to The New Yorker, Kieran said: “After the first season, (Jeremy) said to me something like, ‘I’m afraid people will think the show is a comedy. And I said, “I think the show is a comedy.” He thought I was kidding.
Meanwhile, Adam revealed his bizarre sternness was the reason Jeremy was cast, as he claimed his attitude towards the show helped Kendall’s character.
He said: ‘That’s exactly why we cast Jeremy in this role. Because he doesn’t play it as a comedy. He plays it like it’s Hamlet.
The Estate follows the Roy family, led by fierce father Logan, and their fight to take his place at the helm of his media company Waystar Royco, with Kendall being the mogul’s floundering second son.
Teasing what’s in store for season four, which is slated for release on March 27, Brian said the Roy family will be tested more than ever and described it as a “bumpy ride”.
This isn’t the first time Brian has criticized his co-star Jeremy’s Method acting techniques, as he previously considered it “American crap”.
Speaking at the Toronto Film Festival in September, he wasn’t shy about blowing the drill and said he doesn’t cling to the characters he plays after he wraps up a project.
“I don’t care much for American shit, having to have a religious experience every time you play a role is c**p,” he said, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“I don’t cling to the characters I play, I let them flow through me.”
Speaking about his own acting technique, he said, “You just let it go through you and you don’t get in your way.”
Jeremy has previously spoken about embodying his role in his daily life as a way to connect and understand Kendall.
“I think it’s really important with acting, that you have a personal experience,” he told GQ in 2019. “It’s not just an imaginary experience, that you go through something. thing and it costs you.”
In a profile with The New Yorker in 2021, Jeremy opened up about practicing what he calls “diffusion of identity” in his work.
The actor detailed the method style of his acting – including claims he would take the role as seriously as his own life.
He said, “I can’t work in a way that feels like doing a TV show. I need, for some reason, to believe it’s real and engage in that feeling of belief…
“For me the stakes are life and death. I take (Kendall) as seriously as I take my own life.
In response to Jeremy’s profile, Brian admitted he was worried about the “pain” Jeremy was going through to play his troubled son on screen.
The veteran actor admitted working with Jeremy can be “exhausting” but the cast of Succession are happy to put up with the methods because they “love” him and he always gives an “amazing” performance.
The cast of Succession is set to return to screens on March 27 for the highly anticipated fourth series, which should deliver more drama than ever.
Season 3 ended with Logan permanently altering his company Waystar Royco by striking a deal with tech billionaire Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgard).
And a trailer for season four, which airs weekly on HBO starting March 27, focused on the fallout from Logan Roy’s bet on his children’s future.
The clip teased plenty of drama involving Logan and the three kids he betrayed – Kendall, Roman (Kieran Culkin) and Siobhan ‘Shiv’ Roy (Sarah Snook).
Waystar was considering acquiring Matsson’s up-and-coming tech company GoJo, though it was considering a merger of equals, which doesn’t sit well with the family.
At the start of the finale, the potential acquisition turned into GoJo directly acquiring Waystar Royco, leaving the future of Logan’s children – Kendall, Shiv and Roman – in the company in jeopardy.
In the end, Logan told the kids that he and their mother Caroline Collingwood (Harriet Walter) had renegotiated their divorce agreement, which effectively deprived the kids of control of the business.