Daniel Day-Lewis has expressed dismay at being dragged into a public spat with Succession star Brian Cox over an unwanted public debate about method acting.
Following the conclusion of Succession, Cox, 79, made headlines for his repeated criticism of co-star Jeremy Strong’s immersive acting approach, which he described as “f--king annoying” and “not good for the ensemble.”
“Of course, Jeremy was Dan Day-Lewis’ assistant,” Cox said of Strong in 2023. “So he’s learned all that stuff from Dan.”
Day-Lewis, a three-time Oscar winner widely considered one of the finest practitioners of the art form, told The Big Issue that Cox’s criticisms of his method acting technique were “some kind of lunacy,” and hit out at his former co-star for using his platform to drag the two men into a public spat.
“Listen, I worked with Brian Cox once and got somehow drawn into this handbags-at-dawn conflict inadvertently,” Day-Lewis, 68, told the publication.
“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.”
Defending his approach, the 68-year-old said the focus on extreme physical details, such as when he prepared for his role as Guildford Four member Gerry Conlon for the 1993 drama In The Name Of The Father by spending time in a jail cell, misses the entire point of the process.
“I just don’t like it being misrepresented to the extent it has been,” he said. “I can’t think of a single commentator who’s gobbed off about the method that has any understanding of how it works and the intention behind it.
“They focus on ‘oh, he lived in a jail cell for six months’. Those are the least important details. In all the performing arts, people find their methods as a means to an end.
“It’s with the intention of freeing yourself so you present your colleagues with a living, breathing human being they can interact with. It’s very simple.
Expressing irritation with the popular perception of his work, he added, “So it p--ses me off this whole ‘Oh, he went full method’ thing. What the f--k, you know? Because it’s invariably attached to the idea of some kind of lunacy.
“I choose to stay and splash around, rather than jump in and out or play practical jokes with whoopee cushions between takes or whatever people think is how you should behave as an actor.”
Addressing his relationship with Strong, Day-Lewis sought to distance himself from the Succession drama, and expressed regret at his becoming embroiled in the public row.
“If I thought during our work together I’d interfered with his working process, I’d be appalled,” Day-Lewis said of Strong’s acting. “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.”
Cox and Day-Lewis starred together in the 1997 drama The Boxer, which saw Day-Lewis portray IRA prisoner Danny Flynn and train as a boxer in Ireland for two years in preparation for the role.
