CNN
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Actor Brian Cox is not someone who minces his words about the art of method acting and many other people, places and things. Now, he’s sharing his candid feelings about the Academy Awards.
In a new interview with the Hollywood Reporter, published Monday, Cox was asked about his 2017 film “Churchill,” wherein he portrayed former UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
It was released the same year as another historical drama about the late British statesman called “The Darkest Hour,” a Universal and Focus features film that earned lead actor Gary Oldman an Oscar.
Cox told the publication that he felt his film “never even got a look” because it was released in the summer months by a smaller UK-based production company and didn’t have the backing or buzz of a major studio release.
“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,” he told the publication. “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.”
Awards season contenders are typically released in the fall, toward the end of the Oscars eligibility window, which runs between January 1 and December 31 of the qualifying calendar year. But some films released earlier in the year have broken through the Oscars race, like “Get Out” and “Oppenheimer,” which were released in February and July, respectively. “Oppenheimer” went on to win best picture.
Cox ultimately doesn’t seem all that concerned about the “Churchill” snub, as he is pretty confident in his work.
“I still think my performance is a better performance,” he said.
Cox is best known for his role on “Succession,” which concluded last year. He next lends his voice to the upcoming animated film “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.”