Brian Cox Hates the Oscars Now Too

The holidays are upon us! It’s time to stress out about all the things you said you were going to do but haven’t done yet. Yes, you still have to get a gift for the one cousin who will probably show up next week. Also, you still haven’t figured out where your parents want to go to dinner, only that they want it to be “special.” You’ve yet to come up with a good excuse as to why you can’t see your high school friends when you go home. But, most importantly, you haven’t seen all the films that will likely be nominated for Oscars!

Given that the Academy hates horror, you don’t have to blame yourself for not seeing Nosferatu yet (damn Christmas releases). Still, everything else that will likely be nominated has already been released in theaters. There is a small window of time for movies to release if they want to be considered for one of them Golden Bald Guys. A movie could be stellar in every sense of the word, but won’t stand a chance if it’s released in March. It’s pretty dumb, and something Brian Cox is not a fan of.

Cox is no stranger to sharing his opinions about… anything. It would be refreshing if he wasn’t lodging his complaints with the same voice he used to Ba Da Ba Ba Ba his way into the heart and soul of McDonald’s executives. I’m all for getting money, but Cox’s complaints often contain a lack of self-awareness. Yes, Jeremy Strong can be annoying, but s*** on that while you’re shilling for french fries and chicken Big Macs. But, if Cox wants to take his bitterness and aim it at the Oscars I’m all ears.

The actor recently sat for an extensive interview with The Hollywood Reporter and was asked about playing Winston Churchill the same year as Gary Oldman, with the latter taking home an Oscar for his troubles. “Our film came out in the summer, and it was a relatively independent film, so you haven’t got the power of the studios behind it,” Cox explained. 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. 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. So my film never even got a look, and I still think my performance is a better performance.”

Okay, Brian. Going after the Oscars is one thing, but saying you’re better than someone else in the same breath kind of kills the sentiment. He’s not wrong that the short window for Oscar eligibility is nonsense. Also, big studios have a much easier time shelling out the big bucks to get their nominees lots of attention. But none of it is a meritocracy and it’s silly to act like it can be. Judging someone’s art is an inherently subjective process. But, ya know, go off, King (as the children say).

I honestly thought I would be more on the side of Cox’s take when I sat down to write this. I still agree that the Oscars should widen its consideration window, but Cox buries that complaint in a sea of obnoxiousness. He also takes a moment in the interview to say that Kevin Spacey should be given another chance. He’s suffered enough, guys! Ba Da Ba Ba Ba, I’m… tired.