In a new interview, the 'Succession' actor says that he 'was being a bit harsh' for dubbing the 'Pirates of the Caribbean' star 'overblown' in his memoir titled 'Putting the Rabbit in the Hat'.

• Mar 16, 2022

AceShowbiz - Brian Cox is rethinking his words. The Logan Roy depicter on "Succession" has expressed his regret for labeling Johnny Depp "overrated" and "overblown" in his newly released memoir titled "Putting the Rabbit in the Hat".

When making an appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on Monday, March 14, the 75-year-old actor said that he "sort of" regretted what he wrote in his book. "I just thought I was being a bit harsh," he said. "You know what it's like..you go for the easy joke. And I went for the easy joke."

When asked by host Jimmy Kimmel if actors generally think they're overrated, Brian responded, "I think they do. I think a lot of times actors think they're overrated, and some think they're underrated." He then pointed out, "Let's put it this way, most of them think they're not rated at all."

Brian also hinted that he added an addendum to the paperback version of the book before it was published. The Scottish actor went on to explain, "I'm not like that normally. I was just being a bit glib, a bit flip."

In his book, Brian wrote, "Personable though I'm sure [Johnny] 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." He added, "But people love him. Or they did love him. They don't love him so much these days, of course. If Johnny Depp went for Jack Sparrow now, they'd give it to Brendan Gleeson."

Additionally, Brian shared in his book that he turned down the role of Governor Swann, which eventually went to Jonathan Pryce, in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise. "It would have been a money-spinner, but of all the parts in that film it was the most thankless, plus I would have ended up doing it for film after film and missed out on all the other nice things I've done," he stated.

Elsewhere in his memoir, Brian also sent a message for director Quentin Tarantino. "I find his work meretricious. It's all surface," he noted. "Plot mechanics in place of depth. Style where there should be substance. I walked out of 'Pulp Fiction'. That said, if the phone rang, I'd do it."