Brian Cox is directing and co-starring in Glenrothan, the story of two estranged brothers (Cox and fellow Scotsman Alan Cumming) who reunite to save their family’s whisky distillery.Graeme Hunter PIctures/Supplied
Earlier this summer in Edinburgh and Dundee, the Scottish actor Brian Cox played the great 18th-century Scottish economist Adam Smith in James Graham‘s play Make it Happen. The drama concerns the global financial crash of 2008 and the Royal Bank of Scotland’s role in the disaster.
Playing the ghost of fiscal past was a return to the Scottish stage by Cox for the first time in a decade. What he found, particularly in the Scottish capital, were unusually animated crowds.
“Normally Edinburgh audiences are very reserved but not in this case,” the Succession actor told The Globe and Mail. “There was a lot of bloodletting because of how people were affected by what happened. But it wasn’t anger, it was the residue of anger. I think there was finally a feeling of ‘Our story is being told, finally we can get our rocks off on it.’
“And I think,” the 79-year-old character actor continued, “we need a lot more of that kind of thinking in Scotland.”
It’s not just talk. Cox is directing and co-starring in the new film Glenrothan, the story of two estranged brothers (played by Cox and fellow Scotsman Alan Cumming) who reunite to save their family’s whisky distillery in a fictional Scottish village.
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The film, which marks Cox’s directorial debut, makes its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 11.
Scotland’s film industry, like Canada’s, is criticized for not telling homegrown stories. Vancouver, the so-called Hollywood of the North, is often used as a stand-in for other countries. Same with Scotland: Recently, parts of Glasgow were dressed to look like a U.S. city during the filming of Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
“Scotland is a nation of storytellers, and we have a lot to say,” said the 60-year-old Cumming, speaking from his home in the Scottish Highlands on the same video conference call with Cox. “There’s a lot of things being made here, but indigenous filmmakers need to be helped and the Scottish stories told a bit more.”
Perthshire native Cumming, like the Dundonian Cox, is doing his part. Last year the BAFTA/Emmy/Tony winner worked in his home country on the forthcoming Marc Turtletaub film Borges and Me, an adaptation of novelist Jay Parini’s memoir that recounts the author’s 1970 trip through the Scottish Highlands with the renowned Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges.
The film makes its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 11.Graeme Hunter PIctures/Supplied
Glenrothan, which Cox calls a “love letter” to Scotland, is a tense but big-hearted drama about family, forgiveness and a sense of place. One brother, Donal (played by Cumming), wanted to stay in their fictional hometown but left; the other, Sandy (played by Cox), wanted to split but never did.
The story resonates with Cox, who co-founded the Royal Lyceum Theatre Company in Edinburgh 60 years ago.
“To go or to stay was always a question for me when I was younger,” Cox said. “I started in the Lyceum in 1965, which was a great experience. People were telling me then not to leave Scotland, but I had to learn, and I wasn’t learning in the way I needed to there.”
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Leaving home to train as a Shakespearean actor in England, Cox starred in numerous productions with the Royal National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company.
“It was tough leaving, though,” he recalled.
He went on to use his Scottish accent in feature films Rob Roy and Braveheart, both from 1995.
Cumming’s character in Glenrothan had a difficult relationship with his late father. The actor’s 2014 memoir is titled Not My Father’s Son.
“I absolutely understand family tensions and ancient hurts,” Cumming said. “It’s one of the things that drew me to the character. At the core of it, I really did feel the sense of loss when there’s a schism in the family.”
As the film’s director, Cox had a strong hand in the casting. He has been a consistent critic of what he calls the “disgusting” practice of self-taped auditions, which became much more prevalent after the COVID-19 pandemic. He also takes issue with actors’ social-media followings playing a deciding role in casting.
“I don’t do any social media,” Cox scoffed. “We had a great casting director, and I cast everybody.”
While Cox described directing actors to be a “very enjoyable experience,” editing the film was another matter altogether.
“It was a challenge,” he said. “I’ve never done anything like that before. But you just work on gut instinct.”
In his acclaimed role in HBO’s Succession, Cox played a dying media mogul. His character in Glenrothan also endures the problems that come with age.
“I just entered my 80th year, but I don’t feel it,” he said. “Where did it all go? What happened? I still feel I’m nine years old.”
Cox spends some of his off hours watching Turner Classic Movies, noting the dead actors he has outlived.
“It’s a great pastime of mine.”
Glenrothan screens Sept. 11, Roy Thomson Hall; Sept. 12, Scotiabank Theatre
