Brian Cox Regrets Criticizing Johnny Depp in His Autobiography

Brian Cox admits he regrets calling Johnny Depp "overblown" and "overrated" in his recent autobiography after getting backlash from Depp's fans.

In October 2021, Succession star Cox released his autobiography Putting the Rabbit in the Hat where he shared his honest opinions on celebrities like Depp, Steven Seagal, Quentin Tarantino and David Bowie. However, he appears to want to backtrack on some of his comments, as he made clear on his recent appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.

Within his memoir, Scottish actor Cox wrote about Depp: "Personable though I'm sure he is, 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."

Speaking to Kimmel on Monday, March 14, Cox now thinks he may have been wrong in criticizing Depp.

Cox said he's not heard from Depp, but he did hear from his supporters. "I heard a lot from his, they call it a fan club but I think it's some kind of CIA agency who works on his behalf. They weren't too happy," he said.

"In fact, I've written an addendum to this book." Cox continued, "Because I just thought I was being a bit harsh. You know what it's like? You go for the easy joke, and I went for the easy joke."

"That's what happened and I sort of regretted it because I'm not like that normally but I was just being a bit glib," Cox said.

Since Cox had said Depp was "overrated," this led Kimmel to ask Cox whether he thought actors in general were underrated or overrated. Cox has never shared the screen with Pirates of the Caribbean star Depp, but he does have first hand experience with other actors who he also criticized in the book.

Other Celebrities Targeted by Brian Cox

While Cox has reneged his comments on Depp, there are still a number of lingering words Cox mentioned for other actors.

In his book, Cox called Jonathan Pryce an "interesting fish," he critiqued Tarantino's work and said he walked out of Pulp Fiction. He also called Edward Norton a "pain in the a***."

Putting the Rabbit in the Hat isn't all negativity though as he has kind words to say about Morgan Freeman and Keanu Reeves.

Cox has been out on the awards circuit in recent weeks, attending the Screen Actors Guild Awards and Critics' Choice Awards where he was nominated for Best Actor prizes. Along with his Succession co-stars, he won the SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.