Brian Cox Shares A Wonderful Story About Working With Laurence Olivier

One of the greatest Laurence Olivier stories you've never heard - as told by acclaimed actor Brian Cox.

[PeterSmith-goef]

Great story, so perfectly told. One great actor talking about another.

[ccgamedes]

Brian's rendering is pitch perfect !!!

[carolejander]

This is priceless
Thankyou Brian Cox

[elizabethtoews]

I believe it. He was very sensitive about criticism. Saw Olivier as Shylock and James Tyrone. Also saw Brian Cox with Kenneth Moore. Wonderful presence on stage.

[davidevans]

now looking for the whole interview..
thankyou for sharing this 🙂

[mayatoman]

Always admired Michael Hordern, seeing him in London, Eng. on stage in "Jumpers", a brilliant actor, in a most difficult longwinded role which he carried off brilliantly.
Previously in "El Cid", he played Heston's father... Brian Cox- he did some good Canadian work as well--with some of
my friends- Len Doncheff- one of them- in "Nuremberg" filmed in Montreal.

[mortalclown]

To the person who didn't find this story 'wonderful'; it was. It told so very much and I'm glad I heard it.

[JustSomeCanadianGuy]

Michael Caine said Olivier said “You must call me Larry.”

[kyamaldinihill]

This is amazing. If you've read Olivier's autobiographies or accounts of experiences from his peers, you'd know that sounds like something he would say! 🤣

The book Olivier by Philip Ziegler is a good one. And based on that alone, watching this, I can see him actually doing that. As the kids would say, it's "on brand!" 😁

[arriuscalpurniuspiso]

Brian Cox is a great man and a better actor

[raywalsh]

"And so Larry was acting in this movie called Marathon Man with Dustin Hoffman, and Dustin Hoffman show up for the shoot one morning looking absolutely wretched. And Larry says, 'Dusty, you look absolutely wretched.' To which Hoffman replies, 'Well, I've been up for over 24 hours, because in this scene my character has been up for over 24 hours.' To which Larry replies, 'Oh, Dusty, why don't you try ACTING.'

[alidabaxter]

Re "Sleuth" which somebody else has mentioned, he had enormous trouble with his lines and his part before shooting started which turned out to resolve once he'd got the right moustache, I believe. And he often forgot his lines and when he did one eyebrow would go up (Sarah Miles told this story). But whatever, he was a great actor, as is lovely Brian Cox.

[vikinghex]

some people knock you out with just one statement like he just did my dad served in the merchant navy in WWII he never said a word about it my uncle Wal said to me that my dad was blown up twice on convoys picked up by tail end johnny not supposed to I remember him having nightmares snd shouting out at night .years later I asked him about it he just said the same we were better than them so we prevailed an Englishman all the way still miss him and I'm 79 now

[sebastianalegria]

I had no idea Brian worked with Sir Laurence Olivier, however what I actually know about Olivier he praised Marlon Brando, which is arguably the greatest actor of all-time and both Olivier and Brando used to admire each other as far as i'm concerned.

[Isleofskye]

Brilliantly told about our greatest theatrical Actor even if he did have an go the size of Hyde Park:)

[sianiswack]

The subtitles are... a bit annoying. Oh dear.

[robbillington]

He said this while he was doing Sleuth. I think his words were “I can’t learn my fucking lines” 🤣

[MattHoyle]

Is this full interview with Brian Cox available here on YouTube from 92Y?

[A-small-amount-of-peas]

Why the hard subtitles? Surely what he was saying was clear enough?

[AlexanderArsov]

Wonderful perhaps not, but a charming story certainly. Larry said nothing more than a simple truth, subjective though it may be. And in that Granada "Lear" he sure did know his lines. And what a performance it is!