Brian Cox defends Bryan Singer: “I think he’s an extraordinary director”

Brian Cox has defended Bryan Singer’s on-set behaviour while filming X2.

Cox played William Stryker in the 2003 superhero film directed by Singer, who has since been accused of misconduct and was said to have been “complicated” to work with on set, per The Guardian.

The actor said that Singer was “under a lot of strain” throughout production, but praised his methods.

“One of his great things was that when he came to a new set, he would have to rethink it,” Cox said in an interview with Yahoo! Entertainment.

“He’d have a thought, and then have to rethink [the scene]. So that was always a difficult transition for him. But once he cracked it, he cracked it very quickly and was able to get on with it.”

The actor added that he was Singer’s first choice for the role, although the director had to convince the studio to cast him.

“I think he’s an extraordinary director — really, really gifted,” Cox said. “Certainly I will always be grateful to him because he had confidence in me and got me the role. I played a waiting game and it worked.”

Earlier this year, Brian Cox also spoke out in favour of another controversial figure by criticising the “mistreatment” of J.K. Rowling.

Rowling received attention for her comments in which she mocked an article with the phrase “people who menstruate” in its headline and published a 3,000-word essay titled JK Rowling Writes about Her Reasons for Speaking Out on Sex and Gender Issues, resulting in a significant backlash from the trans community and beyond.

When asked about the controversy on BBC One’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme (per Metro), Cox said: “I don’t like the way she has been treated, actually.

“Actually, I think she’s entitled to her opinion, she’s entitled to say what she feels, as a woman, she’s very much entitled to say what she feels about her own body.”

He added: “There’s nobody better to say as a woman. So I do feel that people have been a bit high and mighty about their attitude towards J.K. Rowling, quite frankly.”

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