Daniel Day-Lewis Denies Claims About Jeremy Strong’s Acting Style
Daniel Day-Lewis addresses statements by Brian Cox, denying that he influenced Jeremy Strong's approach to acting and clarifying his stance on the ongoing debate about Method acting.
Background of the Debate
Brian Cox has criticized Method acting, citing Jeremy Strong, his co-star in Succession, as an example of the style's drawbacks. Cox expressed that he finds the acting method "fucking annoying" in various interviews over recent years.
Claims About Daniel Day-Lewis
- Cox speculated that Day-Lewis had to retire at age 55 because of burnout from Method acting, suggesting he couldn't continue with that style daily.
- He also linked Jeremy Strong's Method approach to Day-Lewis, claiming Strong was his assistant and learned from him.
Day-Lewis's Response to the Claims
In an interview with The Big Issue, Day-Lewis stated:
"I worked with Brian Cox once and got drawn into this handbags-at-dawn conflict inadvertently. 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."
He emphasized that he does not believe he influenced Jeremy Strong's acting style and was surprised by Cox's allegations:
"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 that came from."
Additional Comments from Brian Cox
During a Variety interview, Cox linked Jeremy Strong's Method acting to Day-Lewis, claiming Strong learned much from him, though Day-Lewis disputes this.
Author's Summary
Daniel Day-Lewis firmly denies influencing Jeremy Strong, dismissing claims linking him to Method acting burnout and clarifying that he has no responsibility for Strong's acting style, despite Cox's assertions.