Daniel Day-Lewis Responds to Brian Cox’s Method Acting Criticism
Daniel Day-Lewis has responded to Brian Cox after being unexpectedly drawn into the "Succession" star’s criticism of method acting. In an interview with Big Issue, the three-time Oscar winner said he was surprised by Cox’s remarks and addressed the controversy directly.
“Listen, I worked with Brian Cox once and got somehow drawn into this handbags-at-dawn conflict inadvertently,” Day-Lewis said. “Brian is a very fine actor who’s done extraordinary work. As a result, he’s been given a soapbox… which he shows no sign of climbing down from. Any time he wants to talk about it, I’m easy to find.”
Day-Lewis emphasized that he never disrupted Cox’s process while they worked together and seemed puzzled by the criticism.
“If I thought during our work together I’d interfered with his working process, I’d be appalled. But I don’t think it was like that. So I don’t know where that came from. Jeremy Strong is a very fine actor, I don’t know how he goes about things, but I don’t feel responsible in any way for that.”
Background on Brian Cox’s Comments
Cox first voiced his disdain for method acting in 2021, linking Jeremy Strong’s intense portrayal of Kendall Roy in Succession to Daniel Day-Lewis’s well-known approach to the craft. At the time, Cox described method acting as a distinctly “American disease.”
“He’s a very good actor,” Cox said of Strong. “And the rest of the ensemble is all OK with this.”
Author’s Summary
Daniel Day-Lewis dismissed Brian Cox’s criticism of method acting as unfounded, expressing surprise and reaffirming his respect for both Cox and Jeremy Strong.