Brian Cox Addresses Rehearsal Outburst That Led To Him Being Reported To Actors' Union

Sir Brian Cox has spoken out after being reported to the actor’s union over an incident during a rehearsal for a play last year.

The Succession star appeared in a production of Long Day’s Journey Into Night in London’s West End in the first half of last year, alongside a cast that included Patricia Clarkson, Daryl McCormack and Laurie Kynaston.

During an interview with The Times, the Emmy winner shared that he lost his temper during one rehearsal, which resulted in him being reported to Equity, the UK’s leading performing arts union.

“It’s this whole woke nonsense,” Sir Brian claimed. “You can’t say boo to a goose.”

He claimed: “I mean, I just lost my temper and I said, ‘I’m not losing my temper at you. I’m losing my temper at me. I’m the one who’s having the problem, not you’.”

These days, the Emmy-winning actor is best known for his performance as Logan Roy in the hit US drama Succession.

In the past, some of his Succession co-stars have also spoken about Sir Brian’s temper on set, with Sarah Snook claiming last year that he was prone to “terrifying” and “thunderous” outbursts.

“He has a habit of sometimes going into a false – or could it be real, who knows? – diabetic rage, where he’ll go [growls] all of a sudden,” she told Times Radio.

Sarah added: “I think part of it’s a little of trying to just jolt the energy of the set and rustle a few feathers, get it going and moving faster.”

Peter Friedman, meanwhile, told The Guardian that Sir Brian could be “frightening” when he “gets up into high dudgeon”.

“I don’t mean just acting frightening, I mean actually frightening,” Peter clarified. “He can get there! But he’s also the nicest guy in the world.”

J Smith-Cameron has also revealed to GoldDerby that Sir Brian could be “a little terrifying” and “scary” when in an angry mood, but maintained that she is “so fond of him”.

Read Sir Brian Cox’s full interview in The Times here.