Daniel Day-Lewis Breaks Silence on Succession Uproar After Brian Cox’s Claim, Says He Doesn’t Feel Responsible

Method acting never just sits quietly in the corner, and this latest round involves Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong, and, somehow, Daniel Day-Lewis getting dragged into it. Cox thinks Strong stays too deep in character. Day-Lewis says: leave me out of that. Here is the clean version without the smoke and heat.

How we got here

Cox has praised Strong’s work on Succession — he’s said outright that Strong was great to act with — but he’s not thrilled with the way Strong reportedly stays locked in Kendall mode between takes. Cox’s view: that approach can mess with the vibe of an ensemble and tip a set toward something tense when it doesn’t need to be.

"He’s still that guy, because he feels if he went somewhere else he’d lose it. But he won’t! Strong is talented. He’s f-cking gifted. When you’ve got the gift, celebrate the gift. Go back to your trailer and have a hit of marijuana, you know?"

That line is classic Cox: blunt, half-joking, and very clear about his preference for actors who can turn it off between takes.

Why Day-Lewis is even in this

At one point, Cox floated the idea that Strong’s commitment might trace back to working with Daniel Day-Lewis. Day-Lewis, who basically has a PhD in doing the work his way, just shut that down. In a new interview with Big Issue, he made it crystal clear he didn’t push Strong into anything.

"If I thought during our work together I’d interfered with his working process, I’d be appalled... So I don’t know where the fuck that came from. Jeremy Strong is a very fine actor... I don’t feel responsible in any way for that."

Day-Lewis on what Method actually is (to him)

While he was at it, Day-Lewis also defended the broader approach. He’s tired of people obsessing over the sideshow — the 'he slept in a jail cell for six months' stuff — and missing the point. For him, staying in the character isn’t theater-kid chaos; it’s a way to let scene partners play opposite a fully alive person, not an actor popping in and out for pranks between takes.

"It’s very simple. So it pisses me off, this whole 'Oh, he went full Method' thing, because it’s invariably attached to the idea of some kind of lunacy. I choose to stay and splash around, rather than jump in and out or play practical jokes with whoopee cushions between takes."

Why this keeps flaring up

Because some folks do take it too far. We’ve all heard the stories: grim gifts on Suicide Squad, crutches and marathon bathroom breaks on Morbius. That stuff makes headlines and turns 'method' into a punchline. Day-Lewis is arguing for the quieter version that’s about discipline and respect for the work, not chaos. Cox, meanwhile, is basically saying: cool, but on a crowded set with a lot of moving parts, that intensity can be a problem.

The short version

• Brian Cox likes Jeremy Strong’s acting but says staying in character between takes can be rough on an ensemble and create a tense set.
• Cox suggested Daniel Day-Lewis might have influenced Strong’s approach.
• Day-Lewis, in Big Issue, said he had nothing to do with it, praised Strong, and wondered where that idea even came from.
• Day-Lewis also pushed back on the caricature of 'full Method,' saying it’s not lunacy — it’s staying in the work so scene partners get a living, breathing character.
• The debate sticks around because some actors have used 'method' as cover for obnoxious behavior, which muddies everything for people who use it responsibly.

Succession is streaming on Max in the US.