Daniel Day-Lewis Responds to Brian Cox's Comments on Method Acting
Daniel Day-Lewis has denied Brian Cox's claim that Jeremy Strong is an "annoying" Method actor because of influence from Day-Lewis himself. Day-Lewis told the U.K.’s Big Issue that Cox is partly responsible for involving him in an unwanted debate around Method acting.
Brian Cox's Criticism of Method Acting
Brian Cox has openly criticized Method acting in various interviews, often citing his Succession co-star Jeremy Strong as an example of why he finds the approach frustrating. Cox once suggested that Day-Lewis had to take a break from acting at age 55 due to burnout caused by Method acting, stating Day-Lewis “couldn’t go on doing that every day.”
“Listen, I worked with Brian Cox once and got somehow drawn into this handbags-at-dawn conflict inadvertently,” Day-Lewis told Big Issue (via The Telegraph). “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.”
Disputing the Link Between Day-Lewis and Strong
In a Variety interview, Cox suggested a connection between Jeremy Strong’s Method acting and Day-Lewis, claiming, “Jeremy was Day-Lewis’ assistant. So he’s learned all that stuff from Dan.”
Day-Lewis rejects this idea completely, adding in Big Issue:
“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 fuck that came from.”
This clarifies that Day-Lewis does not feel responsible for how Jeremy Strong approaches his craft on set.
Author's Summary
Daniel Day-Lewis firmly denies influencing Jeremy Strong's Method acting style and criticizes Brian Cox for dragging him into a debate he wants no part of.