Brian Cox regrets calling Johnny Depp ‘overrated’

Brian Cox wishes he didn’t call Johnny Depp “overrated” in his memoir.

In his book Putting the Rabbit in the Hat, which was released last October, the Succession actor revealed that he “turned (his) nose up” at playing the character Governor Weatherby Swann in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise because he viewed the films as the “Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow” show.

But during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Monday night, Cox confessed he wished he hadn’t used such “harsh” words.

“I just thought I was being a bit harsh. You know what it’s like, you go for the easy joke. And I went for the easy joke. That was what happened, and I sort of regretted it. Because I’m not like that normally; I was just being a bit glib, a bit flip,” he said, before later noting that he believes most actors view themselves as overrated at times. “I think they do. I think a lot of times actors think they’re overrated, and some think they’re underrated.”

Elsewhere in the conversation, Cox revealed that he had received a lot of backlash from Depp’s fans, and in response, had added a note into the latest editions of the memoir.

“I heard a lot from his (representatives), they call it a fan club but it’s some kind of CIA agency that works on his behalf,” the Scottish star joked. “I’ve written an addendum to this book, it’s going to be published in paperback in the U.K.”