Succession's Brian Cox Has Some Interesting Words About These Hollywood Legends In His New Book

Is there anyone left in Hollywood that actor Brian Cox doesn't hate? That's the question people can't stop asking after skimming through the pages of the "Succession" star's new autobiography "Putting the Rabbit in the Hat," which contains a treasure trove of brutally honest takes from the ornery Scotsman.

"I'm expecting probably never to hear from some people again," said Cox, speaking to The Big Issue about all the insults he rattled off in the book. "But that's the way it goes." The 75-year-old has no time for pulled punches or candy coatings, which his book and recent interviews clearly show.

"I think if you're going to do something like that you really have to tell the truth. Shoot the devil," Cox told The Scotsman newspaper last week. "It was cathartic, necessary. It was important for me because I've reached a certain age and I wanted to look at certain things in the light of one's experience and be as truthful as I could be." 

Asked during an interview by the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) if he wrote the book knowing he'd ruffle some feathers, Cox said, "I had to. You have to be truthful and honest. I tried to be compassionate. I tried to be understanding, and not judging in the wrong way, but it's tough ... I wasn't brought up, I had to bring myself up. And so, that's a tough thing. And of course ... I have anger issues. " So what did Cox have to say about his fellow Hollywood elites?

When it came time to start picking his literary victims for "Putting the Rabbit in the Hat," Brian Cox made sure to talk both about people he worked with and entertainers he just flat-out doesn't like. Excerpts from the book were compiled by The Big Issue and published on Thursday, October 28. 

Describing Edward Norton, whom he starred alongside in Spike Lee's "25th Hour" (2002), Cox said, "He's a nice lad but a bit of a pain in the arse because he fancies himself as a writer-director." Ripping into actor Michael Caine (who may or may not be retiring), Cox said, "I wouldn't describe Michael as my favorite, but he's Michael Caine. An institution. And being an institution will always beat having range." Some of Cox's harshest assessments were targeted at Johnny Depp, Quentin Tarantino, and Steven Seagal. 

"So overblown, so overrated," Cox wrote of Depp. "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." Spewing his venom at Tarantino, Cox said, "I find his work meretricious. It's all surface. Plot mechanics in place of depth. Style where there should be substance. I walked out of Pulp Fiction." Describing Seagal, whom he starred with in "The Glimmer Man" (1996), Cox claimed, "Seagal is as ludicrous in real life as he appears on screen."

Readers wanting to know what else Cox said can find "Putting the Rabbit in the Hat" at bookstores or online now.