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Brian Cox, known for his brutally honest opinions, didn't hold back when criticizing Joaquin Phoenix's performance in Ridley Scott's Napoleon, calling it "truly terrible" during a conversation at the British Library.
Cox questioned what Phoenix was thinking, taking the role and making his unique acting choices.
“It really is appalling, I don’t know what he was thinking…I would have played it a lot better than Joaquin Phoenix, I tell you that.”
He even continued on to mock Phoenix's name, adding:
"I think he’s well-named. Joaquin...whack-een...whacky. It’s a sort of whacky performance."
The biopic, which follows the life of French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, received mixed reviews upon its release last year, with some praising Phoenix's performance and others finding it lacking. Cox also criticized the film's historical accuracy, siding with critics who deemed it questionable and an insult French history.
His candid remarks sparked reactions from fans, with some wondering if he was channeling his character Logan Roy from Succession.
As a refresher, here's the trailer for the film in question.
NAPOLEON - Official Trailer (HD)www.youtube.com
Fans of Phoenix, and some of the movie Napoleon, immediately responded with criticism of Cox's words.
Many claimed that Cox sounded mean and a bit jealous.
However, many people agreed that, even if he was being rude—he might still also be correct.
And many defenders of Phoenix chimed in with the defense of the actor's performance as being due to poor script writing, not bad acting.
As Cox is most recently and widely known as his role as Logan Roy in the hit TV show Succession, people obviously compared his remarks to his character's notable bitterness and bad attitude in the show.
Other people were just so stunned they couldn't help but laugh.
Finally, there were those who characterized Cox's points as, well, unprofessional for a fellow actor to say.
Napoleon can be streamed on Apple TV+.