The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Cox reveals trauma of father’s death
SHOWBIZ: Actor tells of family’s plight during childhood
Actor Brian Cox has said he went into “survival mode” following the death of his father from pancreatic cancer.
The star of HBO’S Succession, 73, was eight when his mill worker father died, three weeks after being diagnosed with the disease.
Speaking on Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, the Scottish actor told how his mother suffered a breakdown and the family were left in debt.
Cox said: “We were left with debts and my mum had a breakdown. It all just went belly up. It was horrific.
“I just went into survival mode. That’s what has sustained me throughout my life and with this present (coronavirus) crisis, I am currently in survival mode.”
The Dundee-born star said his lifelong coping mechanism was to keep in touch with his younger self.
He told Desert Island Discs host Lauren Laverne: “You keep in touch with yourself. You keep in touch with your inner person. You keep in touch with that wee boy.
“I teach drama and I always say to my students, ‘Always carry a picture of yourself as a child because that’s who you are’.
“Never forget it. That wee person is who you are – that person of wonder, that person of amazement, that person of joy, is who you are.
“The rest is just propaganda you have had to deal with.”
The actor, whose film roles include Manhunter, The Bourne Identity and Troy, said he always carried a photo of himself as a young boy, sat atop a high chair with a “gorgeous smile”.
“It’s a fantastic reminder and it keeps you straight,” he said.
Cox, the youngest of five siblings, also discussed his family’s financial struggles following the death of his father.
“I have always had issues about money because we didn’t have any,” he continued.
“When my mum came out of hospital finally and she got a small job, she mainly lived off the widow’s pension.
“The pension would come on a Friday and sometimes on a Thursday night, not always but sometimes, we wouldn’t have any food.”