Daniel Day-Lewis Responds to Brian Cox’s Critique of Method Acting
Daniel Day-Lewis has responded to Brian Cox after the actor mentioned him in a discussion criticizing method acting. Speaking with Big Issue, the three-time Oscar winner said he was surprised to be drawn into the debate.
"Listen, I worked with Brian Cox once and somehow got pulled into this conflict unintentionally," Day-Lewis said. "Brian is a very fine actor who’s done outstanding work. As a result, he’s been given a platform he seems in no hurry to leave. If he wants to talk about it, I’m easy to find."
Day-Lewis noted that he respected Cox’s work but rejected the suggestion that his own acting methods negatively influenced others.
"If I thought I’d interfered with his process, I’d be appalled. But I don’t think that was the case. So I don’t know where that came from. Jeremy Strong is a fine actor; how he works is his business, but I don’t feel responsible for it."
Cox initially criticized method acting in 2021 while commenting on his Succession co-star Jeremy Strong’s approach to portraying Kendall Roy. At the time, he described method acting as a distinctly "American disease" linked to Day-Lewis’s legacy. He reaffirmed his opinion in a 2023 interview.
"He’s a very good actor," Cox said of Strong. "And the rest of the ensemble is all OK with this."
Summary
Day-Lewis calmly responded to Cox’s remarks on method acting, stressing respect for differences in craft while distancing himself from personal blame.