Daniel Day-Lewis Responds to Brian Cox's Criticism of Method Acting
Daniel Day-Lewis addressed Brian Cox's vocal criticism of method acting after being "inadvertently" drawn into the debate. Speaking to Big Issue, the three-time Oscar winner expressed surprise at Cox's harsh stance on the acting technique.
Day-Lewis's Reaction to Cox's Comments
“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.”
He further stated that if he had interfered with Cox’s work, he would be appalled but insisted that was not the case. Day-Lewis expressed confusion about where the criticism originated:
“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 f–k 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.”
Brian Cox's Criticism of Method Acting
Brian Cox first criticized method acting in 2021 while discussing co-star Jeremy Strong’s portrayal of Kendall Roy on HBO’s Succession. Cox linked Strong's performance to Daniel Day-Lewis’s method acting style, which he described as a distinctively “American disease.”
“He’s a very good actor,” Cox said in 2023, "And the rest of the ensemble is all OK with this."
Summary
Daniel Day-Lewis refutes Brian Cox’s method acting criticism, clarifying he was unexpectedly involved in the dispute and does not take responsibility for co-star Jeremy Strong’s acting approach.
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