Brian Cox says he could have done ‘Napoleon’ better than Joaquin Phoenix

LOS ANGELES — Actor Brian Cox wasn’t impressed with fellow actor Joaquin Pheonix’s performance in ‘Napoleon’.

Cox didn’t mince words when talking about Phoenix’s performance, reports ‘People‘ magazine.

The ‘Succession’ star, 77, called Joaquin Phoenix’s performance as Napoleon Bonaparte in Ridley Scott’s biopic ‘Napoleon’ “terrible” during a conversation at the British Library in London.

 “It really is appalling,” said the Scottish actor of the “truly terrible performance by Joaquin Phoenix,” as reported by ‘The Standard’.

 “I don’t know what he was thinking.”

As per ‘People’, Phoenix, 49, played Napoleon Bonaparte in the Oscar-nominated historical drama directed by Scott and written by David Scarpa, released last November.

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The ‘Joker’ Oscar winner starred opposite Vanessa Kirby as Josephine de Beauharnais, Tahar Rahim as Paul Barras, Rupert Everett as Arthur Wellesley, and Ben Miles as Armand de Caulaincourt.

In his conversation with moderator Clive Myrie, titled ‘History on Stage and Screen’, Cox said of Napoleon’s lead role, “I would have played it a lot better than Joaquin Phoenix, I tell you that.”

He added that the blame was on Phoenix, adding, “I don’t think Ridley Scott helps him” as the film’s helmer.

Cox said: “I think he’s well-named. Joaquin… whack-een… whacky. It’s a sort of whacky performance.”

With regards to the historical accuracy of ‘Napoleon’ and other epics like it, Cox reportedly said: “You can say it’s good drama. No – it’s lies.”

He also called the 1995 Best Picture Oscar winner ‘Braveheart’ as “a load of nonsense”, adding that director-star Mel Gibson “was wonderful, but it’s a load of lies”.