Veteran actor Brian Cox has lashed out at the Oscars while reminiscing about the time he played Winston Churchill around the same period when Gary Oldman won an Oscar for his portrayal of the same historical figure. Cox, with a decades-long career, has garnered acclaim for roles in shows like the TV series “Succession”, the 2008 drama thriller “The Escapist”, and the 2000 Canadian-American series “Nuremburg”. Despite winning a Golden Globe for his role as Logan Roy in “Succession”, he has yet to receive recognition from the Academy Awards.
Cox’s career is a testament to his versatility and talent, as he has consistently excelled at embodying complex, larger-than-life characters on stage and screen. However, he has recently voiced his frustrations regarding the Oscars, criticizing the politics and the focus on a specific release window. He argues that the Academy tends to prioritize high-profile, studio-backed films released during the “Oscar season” between Thanksgiving and Christmas, often overlooking equally worthy performances from outside that timeframe.
Cox recently criticized the Oscars when recalling Gary Oldman’s win for “Darkest Hour” in 2017. That same year, Cox took on the role of Churchill in the independent film “Churchill”. While Oldman’s performance was widely lauded and won him the Academy Award for Best Actor during awards season, Cox’s portrayal went largely unnoticed. His frustration highlights a common critique of the Oscars, where independent films released outside the traditional awards season struggle to compete with big-budget studio campaigns. Cox was candid about the disparity, stating, “Our film came out in the summer, and it was a relatively independent film, so you haven’t got the power of the studios behind it. The Oscars are absolute nonsense because everything that’s judged in the Oscars, it’s not a year’s work. It’s just the work that comes out between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I think it makes those awards a fallacy quite honestly because there’s a lot of other good work that goes on outside of what they call Oscar season. So my film never even got a look, and I still think my performance is a better performance.”
Looking at the reviews, “Darkest Hour” received a Certified Fresh 84% among over 300 critics and an 82% approval rating among audiences. In contrast, Cox’s “Churchill” had a mixed 49% Tomatometer and a 54% Popcornmeter. The difference in critical reception likely contributed to Cox getting less recognition. Release dates clearly played a role, as “Darkest Hour” was released on December 22, 2017, within the favored awards window, while “Churchill” came out in June 2017, outside it.
Cox’s Oscars criticism is that it presents an increasingly relevant challenge to Oscar norms. His frustration can resonate with many in the industry who see their work overshadowed by late-fall big-budget releases. As this awards season approaches with contenders like James Mangold’s “A Complete Unknown” and Robert Eggers’ “Nosferatu” set for Christmas Day releases, the issue of marketing power and timing overshadowing worthy work remains significant. Regardless of awards recognition, Cox’s acting legacy is undeniable, and his willingness to speak out makes him an important voice in the discussion about visibility and independent work in Hollywood. It will also be interesting to see how this year’s Best Actor race and other aspects compare to previous years, especially considering trends like the Academy’s seeming preference for biopic performances that are strong impersonations, as seen with Oldman in “Darkest Hour” and potentially with Timothée Chalamet in “A Complete Unknown” this year.
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