Brian Cox: The Swearing Raconteur

The legend of stage and screen reveals his thoughts on political correctness, longevity and a scandalous moment with Princess Margaret

- James Mottram

BRIAN COX IS BACK. Literally. The acclaimed actor has just flown over from the States and spent the last two weeks in London, “socially distancing myself”, before taking a trip back to his native Scotland to visit his 90-year-old sister. She lives in a care home just a few minutes from his daughter Margaret’s cottage on the River Tay, near Aberfeldy.

“I was supposed to try and get to see her in April but of course with the lockdown I never did.”

Cox, who turned 74 in June, had COVID himself at the turn of the year, despite sheltering in his home in upstate New York, which he shares with his wife, actress Nicole Ansari. “I have the antibodies, which was a mystery to me,” he says. “I would’ve said I was almost asymptomatic, but I wasn’t. I had a bad sneezing fit in December. And my doctor said that’s when I had it. It’s clearly been around a lot longer than people have let on.”

Thankfully, Cox has made a full recovery—though it’s not been straightforward. “I’ve been living with two teenage boys in lockdown for the last five months. Not an easy experience!” He and Ansari’s two sons, Orson and Torin, have been struggling like anyone else. “My youngest son. He’s very tall. He’s six foot three, and he’s going through all kinds of hormonal shifts, as teenage boys go through and to do online learning… he misses the human contact.”

Brian Cox after winning a Golden Globe for his performance in Succession