Daniel Day-Lewis Addresses Brian Cox's Comments on Method Acting
Daniel Day-Lewis has publicly denied Brian Cox's suggestion that Jeremy Strong's "annoying" Method acting style is connected to Day-Lewis himself. Speaking to the U.K.'s Big Issue, Day-Lewis explained that Cox has drawn him into an unwanted debate over Method acting.
Brian Cox's Criticism of Method Acting
Brian Cox has criticized Method acting in several interviews, often pointing to his Succession co-star Jeremy Strong as an example. Cox described Strong's acting approach as “fucking annoying.” He also speculated that Day-Lewis's retirement at 55 might have been due to the exhaustion caused by Method acting, saying Day-Lewis “couldn’t go on doing that every day.”
“Listen, I worked with Brian Cox once and got somehow drawn into this handbags-at-dawn conflict inadvertently,”
Day-Lewis Responds to Claims
Day-Lewis acknowledged Cox’s talents, but criticized his persistence in the debate:
“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.”
In a separate interview with Variety, Cox suggested that Jeremy Strong’s Method acting is influenced by Day-Lewis, claiming, “Jeremy was Day-Lewis’ assistant. So he’s learned all that stuff from Dan.” Day-Lewis firmly rejected this idea:
“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 the fuck that came from.”
Summary
Day-Lewis refuses to take responsibility for Jeremy Strong’s acting style and distances himself from Brian Cox’s criticism of Method acting.
Author's note: Daniel Day-Lewis clarifies he is not responsible for Jeremy Strong’s Method acting and expresses frustration over being pulled into Brian Cox’s contentious debate.