Brian Cox admits he "sort of regretted" branding Johnny Depp "overblown and overrated".
Brian Cox 'sort of regretted' mocking Johnny Depp
The 'Succession' actor hit out at a number of high-profile actors and directors in his autobiography, ‘Putting the Rabbit in the Hat’, and didn't hold back when it came to the 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' star, who he met with after turning down a role in the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' franchise.
He said of Johnny: “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 make-up, you don’t have to do anything. And he didn’t. And subsequently, he’s done even less.”
However, the 75-year-old actor has now confessed he was being "a bit of a glib" when he made the harsh comment.
Appearing on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' this week, Brian said: “You know what it’s like.
“You go for the easy joke, and I went for the easy joke. I sort of regretted it, because I’m not like that normally. I was just being a bit glib, a bit flip.”
The 'Churchill' actor claimed he didn't hear from the 58-year-old star, but was bombarded by his fans, who he joked are like the CIA.
He added: “I’ve heard a lot from his, they call it a fan club, but I think it’s some kind of CIA agency that works on his behalf.”
In the tome, Brian also took aim at Hollywood legend Quentin Tarantino.
He scathingly wrote: “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'."
However, he didn’t rule out working with the ‘Django Unchained’ filmmaker.
He added: “That said, if the phone rang, I’d do it.”
When it came to Steven Seagal, Brian branded the actor "as ludicrous in real life as he appears on screen."
He added: "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.”
On his ‘25th Hour’ co-star Edward Norton, Brian suggested he had to many grand ideas.
He said: “He’s a nice lad but a bit of a pain in the a*** because he fancies himself as a writer-director.”
British film legend Sir Michael Caine was also not safe from Brian’s typed-out put-downs.
He said: “I wouldn’t describe Michael as my favourite, but he’s Michael Caine. An institution. And being an institution will always beat having range.”
Tagged in Brian Cox Johnny Depp Quentin Tarantino