During his time as Agamemnon in Wolfgang Petersen’s Troy, actor Brian Cox was just as impressed by Brad Pitt’s genetic gifts as the rest of us.
“I remember at one point being agog at Brad,” the Succession star said in an interview with Vanity Fair, which you can watch up top. “He’d never been in costumes like that… Brad walked on set and my jaw was down because he was so stunningly beautiful. I’m straight but I thought, ‘Wow, my God! This guy is stunning.’ What chance does one have on the screen against this beautiful, beautiful man?”
As Cox walked Vanity Fair through some of his biggest roles, he admitted his part as Agamemnon in the 2004 film was the only role he’s ever pursued in his entire career.
“I’ve never pursued anything,” Cox told the outlet. “I’ve always allowed it to fall out the way it fell out. I knew the part was available and I knew I was dead right for the role. I volunteered to fly myself to London to meet Wolfgang Petersen. It was a great cast.”
He added in closing that his favorite moment on Troy came when he got to command his own army. “My favorite thing in the world is to stand in front of 7,000 Bulgarian extras and to say, ‘charge!’ Pretty phenomenal,” Cox reflected.
Troy grossed under $500 million at the worldwide box office and along with Pitt and Cox, starred Orlando Bloom, Eric Bana, Diane Kruger, Peter O’Toole and others. The film was eventually nominated for a costume design-related Academy Award but ended up losing to The Aviator.
Watch Brian Cox break down all of his iconic roles up top.
