MEAWW.COM / NEWS / CELEBRITY NEWS

Brian Cox slammed for saying he 'sort of' regrets calling Johnny Depp 'overrated' in his book

Cox's memoir titled 'Putting the Rabbit in the Hat' was released in October 2021

Scottish actor Brian Cox sparked outrage after he appeared to backtrack on his comments about Johnny Depp by calling the Hollywood star "overrated" and "overblown" in his newly released memoir titled 'Putting the Rabbit in the Hat'.

During an appearance on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' on Monday, March 14, Cox -- who plays Logan Roy on 'Succession' -- said that he "sort of" regretted what he wrote in his book that was released on October 2021. He said that he turned down the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' franchise because he was being offered “the most thankless [role]," adding that he was relieved he declined producers because the movie was "very much the ‘Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow’ show, and Depp, personable though I’m sure he is, is so overblown, so overrated."

RELATED ARTICLES

'Succession' star Jeremy Strong's method DEFINES hit show as celebs rush to defend actor

Is Amber Heard's career over? Insiders say Hollywood has had ENOUGH of her erratic behavior

"I just thought I was being a bit harsh," Cox told Kimmel on Monday. "You know what it's like..you go for the easy joke. And I went for the easy joke." When asked if actors generally think they are overrated, Cox said, "I think they do. I think a lot of times actors think they're overrated, and some think they're underrated." He added, "Let's put it this way, most of them think they're not rated at all." Cox also said that he issued an addendum to the paperback version of the book before it was published. "I'm not like that normally. I was just being a bit glib, a bit flip," he said.

In his book, Cox wrote, "Personable though I'm sure [Johnny] is, [he] 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." He added, "But people love him. Or they did love him. They don't love him so much these days, of course. If Johnny Depp went for Jack Sparrow now, they'd give it to Brendan Gleeson."

Cox also claimed he turned down the role of Governor Swann, which was later offered to Jonathan Pryce. "It would have been a money-spinner, but of all the parts in that film, it was the most thankless, plus I would have ended up doing it for film after film and missed out on all the other nice things I've done," he wrote. Not just that, Cox also commented on Hollywood director Quentin Tarantino's movies in his book. "I find his work meretricious. It's all surface," he opined. "Plot mechanics in place of depth. Style where there should be substance. I walked out of 'Pulp Fiction'. That said, if the phone rang, I'd do it."

Nonetheless, Cox was excoriated on social media for backtracking on his controversial comments about Depp.

"Brian Cox wrote disparaging comments about Johnny Depp to sell his book, then walked them back weeks ago, now he claims Mr. Depp was an 'easy joke?' Apparently, he thinks a man fighting against false allegations, a domestic abuse survivor is an 'easy target?'" one tweeted.

"The comment was not ‘off the cuff’. It was in a well-edited Book. Seems the backlash esp by Depp fans hasn’t helped his book sales. His mea culpa too late," another wrote.

"Brian Cox literally being forced to acknowledge how powerful Johnny Depp’s fans are is amazing but did he really think he could just say whatever the hell he wanted about someone who doesn’t even know him and get away with it for publicity? Let’s be honest here," someone else added.

"Brian Cox backtracking on the comments he made about Johnny Depp. He also refers to us as being a CIA agency working on behalf of JD. These people can’t deal with the level of support Johnny is getting&it’s quite hilarious to see. Glad to see 'em rattled," another chimed in.
 

Disclaimer: This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.