"Brian Cox"

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You know, um yeah, Will I'd love to do a podcast with with you today. But um but I'm I'm I'm a little sore about something. You know, uh I've noticed in the past, you know, you do uh uh like a fake county. For stuff. Yep. And you will stop after three and you won't go all the way. We've been through this before. We did it on a previous one. I don't think I've ever mentioned this to you before. Five. It may have come up on a cold open once. Welcome to Smartless.

And now I'm uh no, I'm going silent from four down. Welcome to Smartless. How did everybody sleep? We just saw each other t ten hours ago. Really well. Oh good. Oh good. Why? Do you have a story about your sleep? Uh no, I was good. It was it was okay. It was okay. No but wait, did you have the mask on last night? No, I don't I don't sleep with a mask. Oh you don't do the hose the hose and the the No, I stopped that. It didn't really work. Don't cover your mouth when you sneeze.

By myself. I know just practice. No,'cause then'cause then I get my sleeve. Oh, because you're gonna be on camera. It gets all over the Laura Piana, huh? Uh beautiful cast. I like them actually. I uh or him or whatever. Do you. I um I did take a value to sleep like a cup look at him go. I don't know. Sneezing. Will did you get into the b bottom of a bag last night? Um Are you all out? Uh you have somebody on their way over? It's I don't even know. It must be the AC in this room or the AC?

When was the last time you guys saw Dawn in New York City? I tell you. It's just so full of promise this year. Sean in his van? Yeah. I love having going out for beers for breakfast. Oh my God. I can't. Sean, what did you do last night? Um Scotty and I oh I I ran the show. I I have to run the line so that a couple hours. And then uh and then he did about a pound and a half of sloppy Joe's. By the way, I totally had a sloppy Joe at ten o'clock. That's crazy you just said that.

I really did have a slippage. Did you put it together yourself or was it left over from the um the kitchen help you have? It was left over. But it's funny that you say that because I um remember yesterday when I was like I'm eating lunch at two thir two o'clock or two thirty. So that's why I had a sloppy joe at ten o'clock. But then what did you what did you have at your two thirty late lunch? I had another fried chicken salad.

You had a chicken salad? No, no. Fried chicken salad. Fry Oh, fried chicken salad. So they took what? They took the lettuce and the chicken, they threw it all in the fryer? What happened? Everything gets fried in that scenario, even the bowl or And then we call it the. So you had the fried you had the fried chicken salad. Right, Sean? You had this you had this snickerdoodle at eleven thirty. Yeah, right? The big one that you kept going in and out of the bag to keep it fresh.

Fresh was your logic. So then at two thirty you have the fried chicken salad with what did you drink? What was your beverage at that level? Milk with every meal. At the lunch. Yeah. At the restaurant. No, no, it's a few. Did they look at you, did they say did they say is there a child coming to this lunch? No. It wasn't here. We don't see the kid. We don't have a kid's menu. Yeah. But here are the crayons. But you have that at two thirty and then you're trying to tell us

You're trying to tell us that you have the fried chicken lunge uh fried chicken salad and that nothing you had nothing else until you had the sloppy joke. At ten thirty. Uh the Yeah, that's true. No dinner. Nothing. Nothing. No snack. Uh no, nothing. No candy. You didn't you didn't graze go by the candy jar or candy bowl. I don't think I did. I don't think I did is a is a real soft way. It's a it's an entry into you know, actually

Just be honest. Just a milky way. I maybe had a couple starbursts. A couple of starbursts. There we go. So you wanted to get some plastic in there. He needs some binding. Something to bind up that sloppy Joe. Yeah, forget about rice. Wow. And you're and you're like I can't I can't figure it out. I don't think I'm so tired all night. I actually My sleep's fucked up. It's so weird. I don't know.

What'd you have? Well let me run you through it. I tell you what though Sean, I tell you what does that up. Oh yeah. The acclaim for our guest. He has been nominated for four Golden Globes. Is that right? And he's won one. Oh and he's been nominated for countless SAG awards. I think like seven won a couple of those.

Won an Emmy nominated five times. BAFTAs he's been nominated like seven, eight times, one two of all. This is a very qualified guest. This is a guy who his list of performances is one of those guys that has its own page. You know what I mean? With the length of time he's been on this planet, but it just about the amount that people want him to be in their project.

I love that. I love him from everything. He is just one of the guys you're gonna say you we'll guess it if we you're gonna guess if I say he is the original Dr. Hannibal Lecter. He's got a brave heart. He knows a little bit about the born identity. And he's also in line for succession. It is the one and only. Mr. Brian Cox. Good lord. Yeah. This is a guest. This is a guest. Hello, sir. Good morning. Hello, Jason. Hello, Sean.

Well done, well. Great to see you, Brian. Plus I should I should mention also, Brian, that your new film that you've directed Yeah. Glenn Rothen releases on April seventeenth. What's the name of it again? Glenn Rothan? It's called Glen Rothin. It's about a it's about a Scottish um it's about two brothers who are um

They they own this distillery. But one the younger brother who's played by brilliantly by Alan Cumming, uh he uh he's the one that was the real talent in the family. And I also play Sandy, the oldest brother. who is just a plotter. You know, he's just a manager, that's what he does. And uh The other brother has had a ta bad relationship with our father.

And I actually cast my own son as my father because I wanted him to see what it was like being a father to Oh that's wild. That's wild. So uh we did that. And uh he was very good. He was very tough and very scary as well. Brian, this can't be the first time you've directed something, is it? No, I directed in the theatre, but This was my debut as a film director.

Okay, how did it how did it go? What what were you surprised with and what yeah? I was surprised that I made it. I don't mean I made the film that I made it through the whole shoot. Uh it was a bit scary. Um And it was a very odd situation to be in, you know, because I I I came from an egalitarian viewpoint. I wanted everybody to do their best work.

We've all suffered at the hands of various directors over the years and their conceptions that they wanted to include us in. And we just I just want them to fuck off really basically. and control. And I just I really um I some directors I really like. I've worked with some really good ones. But a lot of the time you go, the best direct and what the best director I've ever I ever worked with, unquestionably on film was Lindsay Anderson.

You know the director, Lindsay Anderson? Have you heard of him? No. You don't know Lindsay Anderson? No, no. I should get to know it. You know, you you you live in a wonder world and I don't know anyway. Man or woman. Uh man, Lindsey is a man. He was a he directed a very famous well, he directed a series of films. The first film I ever saw was a thing called The Sporting Life.

Oh, Shirley. It's about a rugby team set up north, written by wonderful David Story, who's a great was he's passed away now, a great writer. And uh yeah, I mean he he he was just what made him great? What what what did you like about his style? Because he just gave you the right note. He gave you the right note. I mean he would uh he would come up with say just we would do his scene and he I went I the the the play I did was with Alan Bates. Uh do you remember Alan Bates? To have a good name.

Alan Bates, the actor Alan Bates. Yep. Sure. Sean, you know who the actor Alan Bates is. Yes, of course. My God, you guys need some training. You really do. Anyway, Alan Bates. uh who was famous in Zorba the Greek and you know he did a lot of movies Alan. And uh He played the my elder brother and I played the younger brother and Lindsay would come up with he said he would come in and we'd go, Ah, it's good, it's good but there's a little bit of attitudinizing in the scene.

Can we kind of remove the attitudinizing and just play the scene? I mean that simple thing. The simple note where you go, Ah, I see what you mean. I'm striking an attitude that I try to hold on to throughout the scene. Yeah. Actually the scene reveals itself.

And the attitude reveals itself. And he was the first director to understand now most directors wouldn't know what the fuck he was talking about. Right. Right. You know, they just don't have a fucking clue, you know. Sorry, I mustn't be direct. Uh no, he he he started a magazine uh with a guy called Gavin Lambert.

called Sight and Sound, which was big was w the big first film magazine that was made n really after the war because he was a he was a war b you know, he was he was at university did post war. Yeah. And um It was just extraordinary. I mean, the other thing he did was uh a film called If, I don't know if you saw that. That was a film with Malcolm McDowell. sy'n sy'n sy'n sy'n sy'n sy'n sy'n sy'n sy'n sy'n sy'n sy'n sy'n sy'n sy'n sy'n sy'n sy'n

Catch up buys. Yeah. I know, I feel like I've I feel like I've seen if uh Wait, uh uh Brian. I was just gonna say imaginary friend. That was a lot of fun. That was a lot of fun. Uh Brian, did you have so when you ended up ha making your uh uh feature film uh debut, directorial debut. Did you find that it shifted. Did you sort of retroactively like go back and kind of shift your opinion of directors and

Did it did it did it sort of even anything out? I had a I had more sympathy for them. Yeah. But I still think a bunch of them are twat. But I think you all agree with me. I think you've all been through that as well. You know, those kinds of things. Yeah, it's always interesting. Like uh you know, a director definitely needs to have a plan and and and pardon the term, a vision and all that stuff. But when it comes to performance

You realize that they think they can control it, but it is like one of the one of the few lanes in making something that you can't control. You can't control performance. You can't control music. Like everything else you can kind of get in there and make a decision on. But performance and music, there's stuff that happens in between action and cut that you just can't micromanage. It's gotta live, it's gotta breathe.

And that character is the actor's character. It's not the director's character or the writer's correct character. Like you have to own it. And to be able to give the actor the kind of latitude to really feel like it's theirs, I think that frees up a really exciting performance as opposed to trying to get them to do the version of the character you always saw in your head.

Right. Absolutely. Absolutely. Well you know, I've suffered under that for the last fifty years or even under sixty years. Well you pushed through it very, very successfully. My God, the performances I've been able to watch you do, Brian, it it's just Uh it's a career. Let me just say thank you. Yeah. I I you have done so many and and you know, uh these guys know I I've go on and on about w my Some of my favorite films. Uh and you have one of the one of one of Will's favorite quotes too.

Um about uh what what is it? I'm gonna paraphrase it here. Uh I'm too old, too rich and too famous to give a fuck. Yeah, it's I'm too old, too tired, and too talented to give a fuck. So good. Brian, I love that so fucking much. I just Fucking love it. I love how you don't I and I'm i in the best way you don't give a shit.

Uh but I know you do about the things you do give a shit about. Exactly. Exactly. Well the the the thing that I was determined to do with the movie was to give ev g everybody give their talent. You know. The the costume department, the wardrobe department, the b the I mean the w that's the same and the the the design of the film and the and the DP. And you know, y you just want people to do their best work.

Not to say do it this way. Right. Because once you say do it this way, you're you've immediately put a block up for them to go, oh I've got to do it this way. I can't do it. So I I didn't do any of that. I just said, give me what you're giving me. Tell me what you want me to do. Tell me what you want to s in the d in the design department, tell me what you want to achieve. And and therefore one had an incredibly happy crew.

It's probably a terrible film, but we had a happy crew. No, but it's a true collaboration. I mean, you hired those people for a reason because you Like what we provide an environment where that's exactly right, Will. That's exactly right. And and and not enough of that goes on. We don't trust

We really don't trust. We don't trust nearly enough. And if somebody comes on and says, I'm this is the design, you just say, well, let's see what you do and do what you want to do. Do what you feel is right. And of course you can modify and all that. But at least you're not impending them. You're not stopping them from being creative. Yeah. Wait, so for Glenn Roth and it is it did the did you find the project or did the project find you? How did that happen? Well it was a d uh it was

I I didn't find the project. It's written by a guy uh called David Ashton. I I do you know, we still do radio back b would you believe I don't you know what the radio is? It's uh sure. Anyway we still I still do radio back in the old country and uh I've been doing a series for twenty years, which I go off and do for three days.

And uh it's a series about a an Edin an Edinburgh detective called McCleavey and it's been very popular. We get about a million m listeners. Wow. And uh I that's and David wrote this and uh He they came to me and a guy called Neil Zyge, who's an also a pal, and Neil said, You're gonna be directing this film. And I've never directed a film. And I said, What?

He said, You go you're gonna direct the film and I and they and they said and you could be in it. I said, Oh that's kind and thank you for letting me be in it but you can cast yourself, yeah. Well you know, you know it you know it's it's a wonderful

Wonderful. There's a great comedian and Scotland called Stanley Baxter and uh there's a great scene which he used to do where he played a little boy, you know, and and also he ha his his grandfather's dying and his grandfather's looking out the window and saying, Son, one day All this will be yours from the hills to the river and all that land out there and and he goes on and on and on. And the wee boy says, Y'know, Grandpa, that's an awfully big job for one wee boy on his own.

That's what I was reminded of how an awfully big job it is for one wee boy on his own. Well it's it's f it's funny it's funny you mentioned that one wee boy on his own because I was thinking about you're you grew up in Dundee, Scotland born and raised in Dundee, Scotland. Yeah. And and now y and and now you're uh a a sort of uh forgive me, a sort of a a a world famous actor, acclaimed actor. How did you go from that to that? What was that leap from your

w what I what I've read of very very humble uh beginnings. Oh yeah. Well my my my dad died when I was eight. And my mom had a uh she he was only fifty one, he had pancreatic cancer and he died when I was eight and I had three elder sisters. I was the youngest and a and a a kind of crazy brother who used to go off and disappear. And he was he was nine years older than me. And I was the baby.

And my dad died and then my mom had a series of n terrible nervous breakdowns which resulted in her having electric shock treatment which I mean she lost about sixty pounds in weight. I mean she was unrecognized. I mean she was a little overweight to start with, but she was underweight. So I had no parents for most of my t I had my sisters.

And I didn't realize it, but it was the best thing that ever happened to me. It's a tragedy, in one sense, losing your mom and losing your dad. Certainly I was heartbroken, but I was liberated. No fucker was telling me what to do. No fucker was g no parent was telling me what I mean. And then your mom and how old were you when your mom

Well w she died much later. But uh my mum went into almost immediately. She had a she had a huge breakdown and she was just hopeless. And also we were we were sending my youngest sister actually my youngest of my older sisters, you know, she's twelve years older than me. And there were my two older sisters who were married, had children. I mean, I was they were amazing. They were just amazing what they did. But they did

They didn't look after me, but they looked out for me, which was better than being looked after. Did you find that you were making a lot of really good decisions or did you make some bad ones and learn from those? Well, you just learn. You learn. I mean, I made good decisions and I made bad decisions. But I made...

But at least I could get the lie of the land, you know, what was going on. But I imagine that Dundee's uh Scotland at that time was a was a tough place to grow up, yeah. Yeah. It wasn't easy, you know. And uh it's a lot tougher now because we have the You know, don't get me started, but we have, sorry.

I I wanted to be more humorful on this, but I mean No. No. It's you're fitting right in the middle. No, what what happened is that we have the highest uh heroin addiction in Europe in my hometown. Oh in your hometown. Yeah. Rydyn ni'n mynd i'n mynd i'n mynd i'n mynd i'n mynd i'n mynd i'n mynd i'n mynd i'n mynd i'n mynd i'n mynd Yeah. Socialists I mean, uh what I can't stand about this country we're in.

is how they confuse communism with socialism. Sure. Socialism is not communism. Socialism is social welfare, taking care of the people. Communism is a dictator. So you know, and I wish Americans would understand that, what the difference is. As a Canadian, I l as a Canadian let me say good luck to you trying to explain it to them, Brian. Yeah.

You know, Americans don't get it. No. They just they just don't get it. Well they don't understand and I'm not r I I don't consider myself really anything, but I do understand that we ha uh we have to take care we're only as strong the idea we're only as strong as our weakest link.

And that there has to be a net because once you w i if there is not a sort of a social net, then the whole thing falls apart and it sort of decays from underneath if you have extreme poverty, which we do in this country. Then the then the entire thing is resting the the the the foundation of the uh our society is rotted from underneath, you know. And so Brian, growing up there, you said it wasn't as bad, but what gave you the hope or the Well,

I had two teachers. I mean my education was a disaster. It was a technical education. I was supposed to be I was trained to be a bricklayer, really what was what I was trained to be. I mean I never laid a brick in my life, but or other you know but I that's what that was supposed to be my destiny and I thought, Fuck that for a game of soldiers. I'm not doing that. I'm not being in that way. And I just wanted to be an actor. I wanted to be an actor since I was three.

You know, and uh that was my desire just to act. Where did that come from? Were you did you watch a lot of TV or Oh I we had twenty one cinemas in my hometown. Wow. Wow. Before the war we had forty two cinemas.

But after the war we had twenty one and now there's about four. And I visited every single cinema. And where where I lived uh uh i i there was a right angles to where I live up from up the street, there was a thing called Arsha's Stone Terrace, and there was the bro there was my church, the library The Broadway cinema, and opposite that was the Royal. And it was double features. So you would go in at six o'clock and you would get out at eleven. So I used to go there all the time. Yeah.

I'm surprised that my when I w they were alive that they even noticed I existed, my parents'cause I was in the cinema most of the time. Was it a form of escapism? Is that is that what brought you into the theater initially? No, I don't think it's escaped. It's just joy. Yeah. Yeah. It wasn't I mean, I just got so much joy out of it, you know. And you live in Dundee, which was pretty heavy going, you know, in those days. I mean it's

It's a great community. I mean that view but the city fathers always make a balls up. You know, they took people out of the town and they put them in these schemes, which is why they're still paying for it now.

In fact the Lord Provost said to me, you know, we're trying to get people back into the city. I said, You should never have taken them out of the city in the first fucking place. I said, That's m that's so important. That's who they are. They're from that time. And then you put them you isolate them without any

Any proper conditions, you know. And therefore the heroin, the drunks, the the whole thing just spirals out of m you know, and and this is something that really gets me more and more and more. Yeah, yeah. We'll be right back. Norwegian presenterar Rea på tusentals upplevelser. Ria på tusentals semesterminnen, titta från simmar. Vad gott. Ria på tusentals biljetter. Norwigen har rea på alla destinationer. Boka nu på norwiden.se. Norwien. And now back to the show.

So then you you you have this love of cinema, you go into the theater all the time. And then W you went to if I'm right, you went to theater school uh in Scotland. I went to Lambda and uh Oh you went to Lambda? Okay. Yeah. What what was wonderful was I was there was a guy called Bill Davis who ran there was a series of directors at Dundee Rep.

And the last guy was a Canadian called Bill Davis. Now, Bill is a director and a writer in his own mind. He lives in Vancouver. And also he um he he's part of that Davis, you know, the famous Davis family who run a lot of theaters in in in in in Canada. And and Bill was great and he said he he invited me, I was I think I was just sixteen if that anyway. Yeah, I was just sixteen. And he invited me to a voice class.

And I'd never been to a vo I didn't even know what a voice class was. What's a voice class? He said, Come along to voice class and I went along and there was this uh He said, We've got this young woman who's coming up from London. She's just taken over now because the previous voice teacher who was a genius died and this lady's taken over. And I said, Who is this? She says, She's called Kristen Linklater.

Have you heard of Cristin Wynn Clayton? No, you see? So we don't know anything. Yeah. No, I yeah. I'm surprised at how really ignorant you both are. You're right on you're right on the money. You're right on the money. You know you sit there and wonder going Oh. Yeah. Yeah. Great. We're here to look at baby boy. Yeah. So anyway, she was uh well look up Kristen Lake,'cause she was uh she's sadly possible. Her son is an actor called Hamishlin Klater. I don't know if you've come across him.

And uh she no, you know no, you don't know. What about like Taylor Smith? They think that you're making these names up. I know, I know. Oh wait, Yes, I know Hamish Linklater. You guys know Hamish Linklader. I know I know who uh yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yes, yes, yes, yes. God, the Canadian. He's so sensible. What is wrong with you two others? My Google's faster, but uh uh I know exactly who hey Michelin clear. So so anyway, so so that happens.

So I go to I go to Dundee, I my first day in Dundee was a very funny day because I went up for my interview and I went up to the front of the theatre and this woman in a very broad Dundee and I said, You what you want, son? I said, I'm I'm here for an interview for he said, Ah you can't get into the front for the front. You've got to go in the back to get to the front.

You can get to the front for the back, but you can't get to the front for the front. So go round the back and then you can get to the front. I said o okay. So I went round the back. And as I walked in there was a an almighty row, a fight going on between No, I'm gonna say an actor's name and you probably don't even know who the fuck he is, but anyway. Anyway, uh this actor was called Nicol Williamson. I don't know if you've ever heard of it. Yeah, If I had a nigga. We've struck gold at Lapis.

Anyway, so I'm this Nicole Williamson and a voice like that and he's not you fucking man I'm making money and that is a great impression of him, yes. I'm fifteen and I've never been in a backstage before. So I'm I'm getting up and I'm climbing up the stairs. I get past them finally. And I'm standing on the landing and there's a wonderful actor called Gone Grange was smoking a cigarette and he looked at me and he said, Are you all right, darling? And I went,

That man just called me darling. Right. I have never been called darling before in my life. This is clearly where I must be. I have to be in this place. Right. Right. That's great. Well, I have to ask you because I'm the person that always asks this.

What's your favorite stage show you'd ever you've ever done and what's the worst thing that's ever happened on stage on love theater? Well The worst thing ever happened I and actually one of the my favorite shows I did was I did a show by do you know who Connor McPherson is? No. There you go. He's a very famous Irish playwright. And he's had a few plays on Broadway. And I did a play of his called St. Nicholas.

in which I played a theater critic. It was a one-man show. It was a wonderful show. Really very, very funny, very inventive. And it's about this theater critic who becomes obsessed by this actress and he becomes obsessed by her and he follows her.

And he follows it. He gets The place he he's in, he gives a bad review to in Dublin and in his persona non grata because of his terrible review, having flirted with this actress, and finally he goes he follows them to London and he follows them to their home. And uh he ge he nearly rapes the girl, but he doesn't. So he ends up being kicked out and uh he eventually goes to work for vampires.

He meets a vampire on Crystal Palace Hill and this vampire says, If you could bring people to the our house and uh you know, we like to suck blood, but we never kill. We just only suck. We don't kill. And I and I said and I said, that seems reasonable to me. But the the idea was it uh he would allow me a space so I could write. And the whole point of his i i i is the fact that he's wanting somebody to write the story. So I did this play, which was a really good play.

So I one night I come on and uh I start I start the play and I look to my right and there's My ex-girlfriend. Oh my gosh. What is she doing here? And then I carry on and then I turn over and there On my other side was my ex-ex-girlfriend. And they're literally sitting opposite one another. And I'm completely throne.

And I just say to the audience, I said, I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen, but I'm gonna have to start again. No way. Uh yeah. I said I'm gonna have to start again because this is this is uh I I can't explain what it is, but really just please trust me. I I I would be better so I can turn it around. That is so. Did you see them did you see them after the show? I did! Oh right. I did. And we what happened was that after the show they came on and they said um

Oh, that was lovely. We enjoyed it. Oh tremendous. And I said, Why were you sitting to to one of the girls, I said, Why were you sitting opposite Irina? And and and she said, I wasn't. I said, You were? She said, Well I never noticed. I said, Well I noticed. You were sitting opposite her and you're literally sitting right opposite. And I said to her, I said, Did you not no, I never noticed.

And I so I went through agony for no reason what I think. And they have no sa yeah. And then that was it. But that's the c Sean I it makes me think, Sean, you're about to do uh A one man show a one man show. Sean is Sean opens well, it'll be on now, I think, uh by the time this airs. But Sean's doing a one man show uh off Broadway. What's it called, Shawnee? And what theater will it be in?

It's called the un Thanks you guys. It's called the Unknown and it's at Studio Sea View, which is um forty third and eighth Avenue. But Brian, you'll understand having explained like doing a one man show and and I was talking to Sean as he's been preparing for it this fall. and just getting off book. Yeah. Just learning the f I mean it's like the way it's another story. Still not off book totally and it's been pretty much. But you're pretty you're pretty good at

He runs the show every day. He ha you have to, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean it's scare I'm scared shitless. I mean w we're recording this and I haven't opened yet. By the time this comes out it'll have it open. So if I if I'm alive I'll let you know. But um but w isn't it? Send the postcard. Yeah. But Brian, I mean like the the one man show thing, it's just it's is it's colossal, isn't it? Yeah, it is. It is. It is.

I mean I remember I came on one night and uh a guy I walked on and a guy is I came on he opened his program and he went And I took the programme out of his hand. You don't need it. It's just but isn't it I mean did you ever go off, like go up on the line and I said in rehearsal I've like can I please have the script just off stage for emergencies.

If I can't remember where I'm at, I just have to I'm just gonna there's nothing you can do. You just gotta walk off the phone. So you're just gonna dip off stage and take a look? What are you gonna do? I mean, uh you know, I don't know. What about a prompter? Well I tell you what's great now. I mean, because I'm I'm a It's considerable old age now. Uh well I don't I don't really think about that, but other people tell me I am. No no no. You wear it well. You wear it well. Yeah. Earpiece.

I know. But I but I don't know. I can't I can't imagine somebody talking to you while you're talking. But only if you go up, maybe if you uh only if you go up do they then talk to you. And the thing about the earpiece is don't think about it as learning lines. Think about it as volition in the play that you want to keep it moving. So you want to keep it moving in a certain way.

Because when you get to my age and me you know, you go your brain isn't working in the same way. It's a little slower. So but Bray Sean, I just I just wanna say I saw your show in London by the way. Oh, I didn't know that. Thank you. Yeah, I did. I just saw it and you were absolutely brilliant. That was just an amazing show. But there is I do have a funny story.

about it and s please don't be offended by the funny story. But anyway, so I'm sitting there and I'm I'm watching this amazing evening and I stood up and you know, I kinda went, Oh Christ, because it was so extraordinary And the the guy later on the guy said and she said, That was a wonderful mind. I said, what do you mean? I said the the guy, the way he mine to the piano.

Yeah. I said that was him for real, you fucking idiot. You know, people have said that and it's like if if I were to mime it. Or like imitate I'd have to imitate it perfectly with all the notes. So why not just play it? By the way, by the way, it would almost be more impressive if it was the mime. Right. That's almost harder than playing it. You know, was there ever that discussion, Sean, to to turn the piano such that the audience some of the audience could see the keys? Yeah. Well

Oh, I thought you could say the other thing that they couldn't so that uh'cause I I did, I panicked before we opened. Did talk about Goodnight Oscar. Yeah. And talk before I I panicked, I was like If something if I hurt my hand or I can't do it or like what or I get scared and I can't I've been playing it too many times. Can we just run a tape and I'll just go? And the director's like, You're gonna be fine.

I'm like, but you don't understand. No, but you did record it though. I you did have it recorded. Yeah, yeah. Just in case and I never Just in case, right? But you never ha you never had to use it. No, I mean I clearly your your command was just dazzling. I mean, I said

You know, what have I been doing for the last sixty years? I'll be fucking about it. Well Will and I went sa Will and I were crying at the end of it. Jason and I were crying and w crying Oh yeah, I was crying too. I mean that was A how beautiful it was and how talented he was and B how talentless we are. I come here. Yes, I I felt distinctly talentless after having no exception. Did you see Black Rabbit? Did you see Black Rabbit?

No pushing. Pretty fantastic. Pretty fantastic. And or is this thing on with Will or Nat and Lord Night on maybe? You'll get around to it all.

Uh uh so wait, Brian, I wanted to talk to you, I wanted to get in before because this is one of my favorite films in in uh w film series, and I love the character of Ward Abbott. From the Bourne movies. I I know A I thought I think the people thought I was gonna mention uh uh uh uh playing Hannibal Lecter, which you again you are the original Hannibal Lecter in Manhunter, which I saw in the theaters. Great movie. Uh in the eighties.

I fucking loved that movie and you were brilliant in that room. Really brilliant. And I'm not just saying that. But I love I'm such a Bourne fan.

Um and I loved Ward Abbott and because there's a scene that you there's so many great scenes. You're so great in those movies. Yeah. But there's a scene where the kid where the kid finds out that it's you that's done it and he takes you down and he and he says, I figured it out and th what they did was they have a light switch and blah blah blah and the guy and you go

Okay, yeah, you go, okay, run it for me again. And he does it again and then you kill him in the most brutal way. And it's one of my I remember the first time I watched it, I'm like, oh my god, it was so shocking. You know, so

Walk me through the board movies, if you can, just a little bit. Did you have a great experience? Was it a fun experience? Did you like it? Yeah, it was great. I mean I I I I mean Doug Lyman is probably the most eccentric director you could ever meet, you know. He flies a plane like this. He's he's extraordinarily eccentric. Uh but gifted, you know, just like he's got these flashes. Like there's um you know, y I I c I can't remember which film I think it's the first one.

There's a sequence where where Jason Bourne falls, it's a it's set in Paris and he falls off. and it looks as if we're going to kill himself but that he falls onto another actor who goes down and that breaks his fault.

Yes. That was Doug's idea. That was Doug said, Why don't we do that? That was in the first that was the first one, in that stairwell go in that huge stairwell in the middle of the yeah. Exactly. And it was a ma amazing. I was I just couldn't believe it when I saw it and I And I thought, My God, but you know,'cause it was very brave of um f of um of Matt to do it, but it worked like a dream and it was wonderful. Yeah. So so much. And and of course 'Cause I don't want to run out of time.

And I know that people because this this is a big area and people are gonna w w we'd be remiss if we didn't mention it and so forgive us for uh it hopefully uh uh bringing up succession which was which was has been so beloved around the world. and talk him a little I mean, first of all, how did that come into your orbit, the the success I I just uh got a call one day uh to say that uh Jesse Armstrong was thinking about this piece and he would like to talk to me.

So I got on a phone with Adam McKay and who was one of the executive producers and and and uh and th he he I mean Jesse always wanted me to play the role and I knew that I thought this is gonna be a hit. I just knew it was going to be hit. You know, it's so funny to hear you say that because we ask everybody, Did you know it was gonna be a hit? And people are like, You've never you never know, but I love that you just said I knew.

I knew. I just knew I knew this was gonna be one of the biggest shows of all time. I I Because because the material was so strong? Yeah. And also, you know, just the part I thought, wow, this is a great part'cause it's it's so He he just comes in at the right moment and and and sort of and and then you've got this kind of real kind of intellectual kind of bandit that he is, you know, and uh

It it was just an extraordin but the cast I mean the cast was amazing. I mean and to watch all the actors grow through the whole show and uh and see the lovely Sarah Snook, you know. uh r Roman, you know, uh I can never remember the names of the actors, but they're also good. How did you like how did you like the schedule of that? Was it was it was it w did it seem just sort of relentless? Um

Or was that since it was an ensemble the the workload was all shared and no one ever really got gassed? No, no no one really it didn't become heavy in in any way. And and when it was a heavy episode, usually you weren't in it, you know, which is what was quite good, you know, like uh uh uh the Kendall's birthday party. I wasn't in that episode at all.

And uh no, it was it was very it was very relaxed and and such great players like Matthew McFadden, you know, who's just a wonderful actor, you know. And all of them. They were all great, even Jeremy Strong. Yeah, sure, sure. And you were Stop it now, John. Behave yourself. Please laugh. I have a reputation, you know, I've got to think about it. Wait, so you find

So you do so you get this material and you're like, okay, I think this is gonna be hit. You like the party, it is a great part. It's a great, great part. And then you what, you shoot the pilot do you guys shoot a pilot or do you go straight to series?

I you know, that's a very good question. I can't remember. I think we went straight to Adam McKay directed the pilot, yes? Yeah, yeah, he did. I think we went straight to series. Yeah. We did I mean no, I think we did the pilot and then it was literally like I don't know, a month be and then we went on and did the series. But we kinda knew we were gonna be doing the series. Right, right, right. I think so. I may have got that wrong. Were you living in New York the whole time?

Well no, I was living in London to start with. And then I I go yeah, I was oh I was cross living. Yeah, I'cause I live between London and and and and New York, yeah. How do you like l how do you how do you like living in the States versus London? What what's what what what's the pluses and the minuses? Oh God. Where to start? Be careful'cause we don't want you to get stopped at the board. No, no, no, no, I no no. We live in funny times. It's difficult. It's very difficult. I feel very

sympathetic towards Americans and um I'm where they're finding themselves in in the at this time. Yeah. And it's it in many ways it's a very exciting time, but it's also in many ways an acutely depressing time, you know. Uh and I find that I I'm more I go more to the depressing side than the exciting side. Yeah. And uh I I just find it extraordinary because I've lo I love this kind. When I was a kid, you know, I you know uh when I when I uh when I was fifteen I

And I I so wanted to be an actor. But I but I realized I wanted to be an American actor. Yeah. Kenneth Moore or Dirt Bogart or any of those English. That just had nothing to do with no connection. Oh God already. You're being pernicious, Jason. Absolutely pernicious. And we will be right back. Norwegian presenterar Rea på tusentals upplevelser. Ria på tusentals semesterminnen. Titta på timmar. Vad gott. Rea på tusentals biljetter. Norigen har rea på alla destinationer. Bokan nu på norigen.se.

And now back to the show. I understand that too though, Brian, as a Canadian. I also at the same I mean and I'm very proud of being from Canada and I love it, but as a as as a sort of a newer American of almost twenty years. I always wanted to come here too. I always had that thing like this was the place this is it's such a great country.

uh the US. It's and it there's so many incredible talents and there's so much opportunity to do so many different things. I think that was it. Do you know what I mean? And also the history of cinema. I mean cinema is an American invention, you know, you you can't deny it. And uh 'Cause my great passion is in fact my wife is so pissed off at me because I spend my days I'm I I I I've been working really hard, I've done four plays.

I di I I played Bach, I've done a play about the financial crisis of two thousand and eight which I played uh m Adam Smith, you know the history of f do you know who Adam Smith was? No probably not because he was education. Anyway so and I did that. I I did that. And uh

And uh no, I uh it was great. But I and I c I realized that I wasn't American. And it was very depressing when I realized that it's not a good idea. What was I gonna do? Well to well w I would say this to us, you had to leg up being British because or Scottish, whatever. Yeah, no yeah, i but just in terms of

where you were gonna go with your your work and i i it it was it was just a very odd feeling. And then I was walking down the hilltown of my hometown and there was a film on called Saturday Night and Sunday morning. You probably haven't heard of that film, I think. Yeah. Uh it's um Albert Finney. Love and that's it. And when I saw Albert Finney, I thought I'm saved.

Yeah. If he can do it, I can do it. You know that guy from Salford, Manchester can do it, I can do it. And also w Albert and I subsequently was a bit older than me. Uh we we worked together a couple of times and I remember we did a play at the Royal Court. The Royal Court's a very famous theatre in London. I look at these you can't s audience can't see. I look at these bewildered faces, particularly the two on the bottom here. That's just their resting face. They have resting bewildered face.

But Albert Finn he ch he changed my life. He just realized I said, I can I can that's that's my path. And of course it was a time of Which was an amazing time in the UK w of the beginning of the what they called the free cinema. And it was Tony Richardson, Lindsay Anderson who you didn't know, uh John Schlesinger, who you probably have heard of. And uh

I put him in the same category as Lindsey Anderson, to be honest. But Brian Brian, do you you know you have you have such an incredible you're very funny, you're very charismatic, you're very you remind me of another Scottish one of my closest friends, Patrick Doyle. Do you know this? Composer Patrick Earl, yeah. Composer. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, he's a great friend of uh uh uh the Irishman, what you call uh I forget his name. Jesus

Ken Brown. Oh yeah, Ken he does all Ken Ranzer. You remind me of him a lot, I just didn't know if you knew each other. But um No, I d uh we've never met, actually, ironically. I've never met.

You know what I wanna ask you about? I wanna ask you about, you know, uh uh w Will and I um uh moonlight a little bit with uh with voiceover work sometimes and uh I love the stuff that you do for McDonald's. For McDonald's. I know. And I wanna how did how did that come your way? Is that something that

That you that is that something that you enjoy? I mean, I imagine it gives you some very handy pocket change. He's loving it. It pays for a lot of stuff. It pays for a lot of stuff. I'm not complaining. Oh yeah. Um how how often do you find yourself in the booth recording new stuff? Well, it it took a while, you know, because I'd been here for a f I mean I'd been here for n nearly thirty years on and off, you know. Yeah. And I

Uh you know, I I I I I di I had a huge voiceover career back in the UK which I couldn't keep up. And that that was before they they'd do things down the line, you know, which they they didn't do in the early days'cause it was too expensive. So I had a great voice career and when I came here it stopped. I'd lost my voice career. And then I had this agent guy called Steve Arcieri who I would recommend to anybody. He is a brilliant, brilliant agent. He's in New York.

And he'd he'd been watching out for me for for a few years and he just came at me at the right point and said, And uh it was McDonald's and um that was it. And then I did the Uber Eats, you know. Have you seen my Uber Eats commercial? I don't know if I have. I think I do. Oh you gotta watch that. You gotta watch the Uber Eats. That's that's that's that's that's very funny. Is that on camera or is that voiceover? Yeah, it's on camera. It's about it's about it's about a

I play a sort of belligerent character who's going back to university in order to get Uber Eats because it's free at its reduced price. Yeah, it's a good thing. And we it won an Emmy that whole land. So I've got that as well. I d I love ads. I love'em. I do Well we do too, but I I I and I w kinda wanna sort of uh uh um piggyback on what Jason was saying is it because we do

As Jason said, we we we both have sort of moonlight sometimes and and get to do these uh voice gigs. Uh b but you have such great uh command of your voice. And and Was it? Oh, there you go. That was Kristen Linklater. That's when I found out that's why I went to Lambda. And then blow me, but six weeks after I got to Lambda, she left and came to America. She taught at Columbia for a long time. Oh wow.

But it's just i it it do like even in something like the the McDonalds ads, you bring s y you you you understand such a way of bringing uh bringing something to the voice in a way that is outside the norm You mean like me,'cause you've never said that to me. I'm just saying that Jason's never done it. I mean Jason sounds like talk about phoning it in. I I mean

He does it on his phone. It's like leaving a voicemail mess. I don't I don't understand. To buy a Hyundai, it it's a great car. It's just I just speak it, you know. Uh But do you and do you sense I i I I wonder also if w you have that thing which after years uh of doing voiceovers, uh where you understand where you can look at a script. I have this thing where I can look at

copy that they send me and they'll and I'll go uh and I'll go uh see the timing and go seven seven seconds and then I'll go like Yeah, I can pr I can probably do that in I can probably do that in six and a half seconds. Yeah. Like do you have that thing? Similar similar thing. I mean I uh usually the scripts are so good and so tight. Um that's the great thing with McDonald's. So I don't have to worry all I have to worry about is the performance.

Well can't you can't you just like say if they if you did it took too long if it took too long, you can't you just Wouldn't they just say can you read it shorter? Oh yeah, yeah. We have a great expression in Scotland which is get on and get off. Which means get on and get off. And and with b with voiceovers I like to get on and get off and not hang about on'em. Yeah.'Cause that's the other thing. If you hang about too much y they don't they they the their density doesn't

It doesn't support you. And with voiceovers you have to drive them through, you have to do them. Just be abandoned to them rather than sort of because otherwise, you know, you you lose the job because you've you've only got an hour to do. I I find myself getting kinda ordery where though where I'll go uh I'll be doing something and they'll they'll say, uh you'll do a take and you'll go through and you'll get a perfect take. It's really good. You'll go

You'll lay it down and blah blah blah. And then they'll go, That's great. And they'll say, let's get one more for safety and I go, Safety. Is it's digital, right? What are you worried about? A hair in the gate? What are you talking about? Now if you want me to do it differently or you have a thought, great. But otherwise we're good. Yeah, I I couldn't agree with you more, Will. I mean thus the yeah, but again we have director problems.

Now Brian, what was it was it a gentle pitch that they made to you when they asked you to do the iconic little um jingle at the end there? Um the butt up butt. Did they uh was but was that I I w like if I had to pitch Brian Cox, hey, listen, we'd like for you to do this, I'd be scared shitless to ask you to do that. Or was that your idea? Was it in the copy?

If I know Jason, Jason would be like, you know what? That's a different pay rate. Yeah. If you want me to need a bump. Yeah. Sing is a different rate. Sean, am I right? Would JB hold them up for weeks over that? Sure, yeah. Uh I'll call you back. I'm not gonna show up to you after No, um but what about I I auditioned for the voice of Aflack for that duck that goes Aflack.

Right? Yeah. And um get it. No, I didn't it was between me and Gilbert Gottfried who got it. And I go I remember the audition and I go in there and the c I had no idea what it was for. And through the glass, you know, I had my headphones on and they would just read the copy there and I'm like Afflack? Like I don't understand And they're like that's all it says on the I'm like that's all it says. Like yeah, just do it and I'm like Do it like a goose. Like a goose. I'm like

Affleck. I I don't understand. I don't understand what you want me to and that and they're like, great, thanks. And I'm like, well I didn't know that I was supposed to sound like an actual animal. Do you feel like your lack of intellect has held you back another way? Or creative impulse.

It can be tyrannous these situations, but uh you you you've got it. It's it's a question of just moving it, you know. I I l I love it. I love the discipline, you know, I love the the discipline of the voiceover, you know, and it's just it's just a great thing to practice your craft, you know. I agree. And I I like that it's a tight space. I like that you ha you only have a finite amount of space t in in order to get this point across.

Often it's a v it it's it's not a lot of time and there's something about that that I find uh really GMCC or uh But Will you're blessed with a very fine voice. I mean your voice is very I remember when I saw you in that wonderful film uh it went you did with Brad and I thought

Your voice is very strong. It's a very, very good voice. They uh that's a compliment coming from you, so I appreciate it. Thank you very much. No, it's it's uh you've got great clarity and that was one what was so wonderful about that part you were playing. Because he was you know, he was on he was he was on the run. But the clarity was so strong and I I was very, very wins an award he's the first person he's gonna thank is cigarettes.

Yeah. They're the only ones who've never let me down, Sean. They've never they've never let me down. They've never not returned a call. They've always been there for

forward. So Brian, you've done I it's so funny, you go back and you've done theater, you've won Olivier Awards, you won BAFTAs and Emmys and Golden Globes and all of it and film and television. Now you've directed your film.

I i it is one of these you know, we ask people all the time, like, what is the thing that you'd like to do? You've seemingly done it w again at risk of embarrassing you it all. So what could what what gets you up in the morning of like Now that you've directed this film, what's the next thing that kind of You're excited to get out of bed to do sort of creative The next job. Okay. The next job. Yeah. Uh uh it only comes when it comes. You know, I can't I you it You know?

You you can't do over contemplation or something. What if I what if I w what I do? How and I you know you just do it. But like you guys were talking about a one man show. Like I literally turned down one a a couple of months ago because I just didn't think that That's something that I could really enjoy doing. No, because you're not a one man. You're not a full man, that's why. That's it. That's it.

If they said a half man if they said a half man show half man show you could do. You could do a half man show for sure. Well like I gotta I gotta get some theater under my belt before I take something like that on. So no no, I'm dying to do that. But like there are things that I am I would I would love to challenge myself to that's one of them.

I can't imagine there's a whole lot left on your list to challenge yourself with. It's I don't even see as a challenge. I just see it as the work. You know, it's part of the work. It's part of the job. And Jason, you're a very fine actor. I mean you don't know, thank you.

I think sometimes you don't trust yourself nearly enough, Jason. Wow, I think this keep going. I think that's your problem. Yeah. I think you really you you're very contained. And you're contained in a way that says if I move too fast I'll follow Ah, and I think that that's your just

Let yourself go. You'd like to see me cut it loose. You'd sound like my wife. She wants me to cut it loose. Yeah, because you're so you're so gifted. You're so talented and you should trust your talent more than you do. Well he did he did a very fine performance in the in this uh program uh the uh Black Rabbit. He's brilliant in. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. And he is much more he's a wonderful actor. I've I've had the misfortune the sorry, fortune.

working with him many times. But I will say Jason has and I always say this to Jason too, and this is the great thing. He he's so funny. Sean Ulites say he's the funniest person. He's got his time his timing is Absolutely impeccable that you cannot teach. And I th and I say to you Jason all the time, I wish you'd uh s get back and do a couple straight comedies. You're so fucking good at comedy. Well if they still maybe but you're denying us.

Of comedy. Why are you denying us? They just don't make'em anymore. Yeah, well then make a show. Do his eight episode comedy show. Yeah. I'd love to if they made those. They do. But you you said that you wanted to do some more theater, is that right? Yeah, yeah, I'd love to do that. And I would love and I would love to do some more sort of acting. Um I just haven't I just haven't felt like I don't know. It's a whole different subject about um I've I've enjoyed playing characters that aren't that

charactery for for lack of a better term. I I I start I kind of got turned off to watching actors act. So I kind of like playing the straight man and the talent in doing less. Um but now I'm starting to think uh I might want to take on some other characters and sort of do bigger, broader acting uh swings. I think you c I think you can r I think you've earned the right to risk it. Yes. Yeah.

It's not a question of risk or trusting talent. It's it's it's just a question of um not I I haven't the roles that I've been attracted to, I would be overplaying them if I if I did if I if I ran instead of walk. Jason, I can't see you overplaying anything. I agree. Because your your your taste is exquisite. Well you all you guys have got that. And that and that is what is so good about you. So trust yourself a bit more than you do. Maybe I'm not sure.

private session you would have to do. I would I would fuck I'd pay handsomely just to be able to witness it and be a part of it. I'd love to have a session with Brian and Jason. Oh my God, Sean, how fun would that be? We're ha we're kinda halfway there. I know we are going to figure it out. God.

Jason, this is what you need. You need a mentor. You didn't even fucking know it. Yeah. Brian. Brian, you have you have mentored us all with your talent for so many years. We we are so grateful for you coming on here. We're so We wish you s uh uh just continued success. And and and continu and a lot of success with Glenn Roth and your film that you've directed.

Congratulations. I can't wait to see it. Uh uh Brian Cox, you are an absolute legend in Nikon and and thank you for being part of our show today. Well, this was an absol I mean, this is an honor. To be honest with you to talk to you three guys of such incredible um talent. It's an honor. It's been an honor. So thank you. Thank you, Brian. Thank you, buddy. Thank you, Brian. The great Brian Cox See you bye. Have a good run. Cheers. Bye bye. Bye.

Um wait, you know what? First of all, he's a absolute delight. Like I had no idea he was so

funny and like uh breezy, you know, like light and breezy. I I had the opportunity and I I I I said this to Brian. He came to a uh a screening of our film a few months ago and I got to I got to talk to him afterwards and he um And when I uh like thirty years ago he was friends with somebody I knew and I was out here it was one of my first times in California and he said we're gonna go by um Brian Cox's renting house in the Hollywood Hills uh in and We're gonna go watch the Oscars.

At his house? At his house. Okay. That he was renting. So I went up, it was like one of my first time ever like Doing that thing, you know, where you've come from not here and you go up into the Hollywood Hills to a house and you're like, Oh my god, look at the lights and everything and then you go in and here's this guy who's this

Working actor, acclaimed working actor, and going to his house, and I was about, you know, twenty-five, and going into his house and just And just being and he was uh you know, just sort of blown away and not knowing what to say and you know, and all you wanna do is get a job. And he was so kind and so gracious. I was just some stupid ass kid. I'm not much different now, but he was I'm some stupid ass kid and he was so welcoming and generous and and

And made me feel and I was like, What a fucking great story. Yeah, you can tell me why don't you you should have told him that story that you'cause I didn't want to cry. Oh well. Okay. Or have him say, No recollection. Yeah. Turn the tables on us. Did I? No, it doesn't sound like me. Doesn't sound like me. Willie, you need to do what about you doing theater too? I think Jason would be fucking brilliant in a play. And so I don't know if I have the character for it. Or the voice.

Or the voice. Yeah, you've got to reach the back row with your pipes. Yeah, you gotta reach the Italian guy in the back. You know, you always want to be like, oh. Whatever you do, do not take the Lexington bus and then go across out and then cross back like a Neil Simon play, you know what I mean?

Um well he was delightful. I I love that guy. He is the delight. He really, really was. What a great, great actor. What a great career. My God. And it doesn't sound like he's gonna slow down at all. No. Waiting for the next gig. Yeah. And I love that he's doing like radio plays and it just uh God, he just does kinda does it all. A good way to know. Sean is just making us hang here, making us come up with a buy.

You should know Sean is coming. I got one. I got one that may or may not have just popped up. Oh Yeah. Oh you know, wait, Sean, I have one. Wait, no, no, sorry, I have one. Oh, okay. What's yours? What's yours? It was great and I what a great simple name to remember. Always recall. What's his what's his name? Wait, I don't get that. I don't I still don't get that. I still don't get it. What is it? So dumb. Uh Smartless is 100% organic and artisanally handcrafted.

Michael Grant Terry. Armjarve and Bennett Barbecue. Smart, less. Dej, jag skulle ju köpa några nya palstält. Det kanske blev lite mer grejer. De hade ju allt, man hade en skribord, jag köpte en sån här. Och konstolar, och sen hade de en skitsnygg. Vi har inredning för hela arbetsplatsen. Välkommen till AI-produkten! Jag presenterar Ljud av förändring.