Brian Cox Blames Joaquin Phoenix for ‘Napoleon’ Being ‘Terrible’: ‘I Think It’s Totally His Fault’

Christian Zilko
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From his lack of interest in Jeremy Strong’s Method acting to his distaste for Warner Bros. Discovery’s handling of Turner Classic Movies, Brian Cox has never been a man who hides his true opinions. The latest target of his colorful ire? Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon.”

In a recent appearance at HitsFest in London (via The Standard), Cox made it clear that he was no fan of Scott’s film, which starred Joaquin Phoenix as the eponymous French general-turned-emperor. While the “Succession” star didn’t have anything redeeming to say about the film as a whole, he placed most of the blame on Phoenix for his performance.

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“It’s terrible,” Cox said of the film. “A truly terrible performance by Joaquin Phoenix. It really is appalling. I don’t know what he was thinking. I think it’s totally his fault and I don’t think Ridley Scott helps him. I would have played it a lot better than Joaquin Phoenix, I tell you that. You can say it’s good drama. No — it’s lies.”

Cox went on to mock Phoenix’s name, suggesting that the phonetic similarities between “Joaquin” and “wacky” speak to the strangeness of the performance.

“I think he’s well named,” he said of Phoenix. “Joaquin… wackeen… wacky. It’s a sort of wacky performance.”

“Napoleon” wasn’t the only historical epic in Cox’s crosshairs during the event. He went on to criticize Mel Gibson’s “Braveheart,” which he appears in, for the liberties it takes with Scottish history.

“’Braveheart’ is a load of nonsense,” he said. “Mel Gibson was wonderful but it’s a load of lies. He never impregnated the French princess. It is bollocks, that film.”

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