Brian Cox Says He Regrets Calling Johnny Depp 'So Overrated'

Brian Cox has admitted he regrets describing fellow actor Johnny Depp as 'so overrated'.

The 75-year-old - who plays Logan Roy in HBO hit series Succession - recently released his memoir, Putting the Rabbit in the Hat, and he pulled no punches.

Depp was just one of many stars in the firing line as Cox wrote: "Personable though I'm sure he 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."

Alamy

Ouch.

But when asked about the criticism in a recent interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live, he was far less forthright.

Rocking up in a jazzy floral shirt, he said he'd stopped caring about what other people think at his age - which perhaps explains the Depp bashing in the book.

Asked by the host if he'd heard from Depp since, he replied: "No, I've heard a lot from his - they call it a fan club, but I think it's some kind of CIA agency that works on his behalf. They weren't too happy."

He went on to say he's written an addendum for the paperback version, which is yet to be released.

He explained: "I just thought I was being a bit harsh. You know what it's like, you go for the easy joke. And I went for the easy joke.

"That was what happened, and I sort of regretted it. Because I'm not like that normally; I was just being a bit glib, a bit flip."

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If it's any consolation for Depp, it was nothing personal. The likes of David Bowie, Ed Norton and Quentin Tarantino also came in for criticism.

Writing about the latter, he said: "I find his work meretricious. It's all surface. Plot mechanics in place of depth. Style where there should be substance."

Still, something quite satisfying about watching a huge star take aim at Hollywood, isn't there?

Explaining why he decided not to pull any punches, he told The Scotsman: "I think if you're going to do something like that you really have to tell the truth. Shoot the devil. 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.

"Of course there are things I left out, and also have I been fair, particularly to the incredible women in my life?

"And the other thing is, have I told the truth? Have I made it all up? You start getting panics about it. Am I being unfair to people, am I being unkind? There were all kinds of strange emotions come up in the course of writing this book."