'Succession' actor Brian Cox slams method acting as 'American sh*t': 'I don’t hang onto the characters I play'

Scottish acting legend Brian Cox has a few blunt thoughts about method acting. While definitions vary, this form of acting emerged fromtheatre. It is made up of several techniques that are meant to lead the actor to empathise and identify deeply with their character. For instance, somebody playing a depressed person might do things that make their mood despondent, and so on. Sometimes, it is taken too far. Actors may go to extreme lengths to slip into the shoes of the character. Jared Leto, while playing the role of Joker, a psychopathic criminal, and popular Batman villain, in 2016's 'Suicide Squad', admitted to sending rats, anal beads, and used condoms to fellow cast members of the movie.

Cox, best known for his award-winning performance as Logan Roy in HBO's satirical drama series 'Succession', was speaking at a media interaction after the screening of his new film 'Prisoner's Daughter' at the Toronto Film Festival.

“I don’t hold a lot of the American s***, having to have a religious experience every time you play a part. It’s crap,” he said as per The Hollywood Reporter.

He added, “I don’t hang onto the characters I play. I let them go through me. The thing is to be ready to accept, as an actor. You stand there, you’re ready to accept whatever is thrown at you."

While venerated in the days of yore (in cinema history), method acting has come to be associated with obsession and superiority complex. Daniel Day-Lewis, one of the greatest actors in film history, had to take early retirement after he suffered from the pernicious effects of method acting while portraying his characters.

There is an alleged related incident that is often recounted in Hollywood circles and media. English thespian Laurence Olivier and the then-American hotshot Dustin Hoffman were working together on 1976's 'Marathon Man'. To play the role of his character who had not slept for 72 hours, Hoffman also stayed up for three days straight. Olivier told him, "My dear, why don't you try acting?" '

Late Indian legendary actor Dilip Kumar is also associated with method acting.

Cox's 'Prisoner's Daughter' is directed by Catherine Hardwicke. It also features Kate Beckinsale, Tyson Ritter, and Christopher Convery in the cast.