Ian Mckellen Named in Brian Cox’s Latest Celebrity Jabs
ian mckellen came up again as Brian Cox opened a fresh round of blunt criticism in an interview published on Thursday in ET terms that place the remarks at 5: 00 AM ET. Cox, who is promoting his directorial effort Glenrothan, used the conversation to revisit his long-running habit of speaking sharply about Hollywood figures and public life. The comments also pulled Jeremy Strong, Quentin Tarantino, Donald Trump, and the question of women in America back into the spotlight.
What Brian Cox said about Ian Mckellen
Cox’s remark about ian mckellen was short but pointed: he said the actor is “not to my taste. ” That line fits a pattern Cox has already made public in earlier remarks about other performers, including Edward Norton, Kevin Spacey, and Johnny Depp. In the same interview, he framed his own directing approach as more egalitarian than what he sees in some filmmakers who call themselves visionaries.
That distinction was central to Cox’s attack on Quentin Tarantino. He called Tarantino “meretricious” and said, “With a Quentin Tarantino film, what you see is all Quentin Tarantino. That’s not me. I don’t want to do that. ”
Jeremy Strong and the Method acting fight
Cox also returned to his repeated criticism of Method acting, using Jeremy Strong as the example he has cited most often. He said Strong has “begged me to stop talking about him, ” while adding that Strong is “a good actor” and “a wonderful actor. ”
He then sharpened the point by saying he does not want to keep reopening the topic, even though he has done so many times before. Cox described the surrounding debate as “all the bollocks that goes with it, ” and contrasted it with what he sees in children, saying they do not ask, “What’s my motivation?”
Elsewhere in the interview, Cox said he has also clashed with the American style of performance that he believes overstates the need for a “religious experience” each time an actor works. His comments place ian mckellen inside a larger list of figures Cox has singled out while discussing taste, acting methods, and the culture around both.
Trump, women, and the wider criticism
Cox broadened the interview beyond film and television. He said Donald Trump does not care about people and is driven by “sheer” greed, while rejecting the idea that Trump is motivated by liberation or public service. He then turned to the role of women in U. S. politics and said, “In America they don’t like women. ”
He added that he does not believe a woman will be president “in the foreseeable future, ” tied that view to the treatment of Hillary Clinton, and said “the patriarchy is a fucking mess. ” Cox argued that the patriarchy has helped create the current moment and concluded with a direct endorsement: “give it over to the women. ”
Why this keeps landing
This is not a new pattern. Cox has already gone public with criticism of performers in interviews and in his memoir, and he has later acknowledged that some of it was harsh. But the latest remarks show the same instinct: he names names, keeps the wording sharp, and leaves little room for softening the blow.
For now, the fresh interview has reopened old arguments around acting style, celebrity taste, and Cox’s willingness to speak without cushioning his opinions. And because ian mckellen was again part of that list, the latest round is likely to keep drawing attention as Cox continues promoting Glenrothan.
