ARTWORKS SCOTLAND
Sunday February 19th
With his 60th birthday approaching, acclaimed actor Brian Cox gives ArtWorks
Scotland an insight into his double life as an artist in exile working between
America and Scotland and reflects on his enduring love affair with his homeland.
In a career that spans 40 years, Brian has played everyone from King Lear to Hannibal
Lector and, for much of the past decade, has lived and worked in Los Angeles.
However, despite becoming an in-demand actor in America starring in big budget
films including X Men 2, The Bourne Supremacy and Troy, Dundee-born Brian remains
committed to the Scottish film industry, frequently travelling home to work on
projects for a fraction of the fees he commands across the Atlantic.
For six months ArtWorks Scotland followed him living and working between two continents,
discovering what fuels the actor who has successfully conquered stage, screen
and theatre in America and Scotland.
Featuring behind-the-scenes footage on the set of The Flying Scotsman in Dumbarton,
ArtWorks Scotland: Brian Cox 59 ¾ also captures Brian and his young family
relaxing at their Hollywood home; recording Radio 4's Victorian detective drama,
McLevy, in the tranquil village of Pencaitland, East Lothian; being interviewed
by fellow Scots expat Craig Ferguson on The Late Late Show; and hears Brian's
insights into his hectic double life and his ongoing desire to reconnect with
his Scottish roots.
"Whenever you go away, you always learn more about home," reflects Brian.
"By moving you sort of reinvestigate constantly where you're from - it's
one of the ironies."
Talking openly about his love for Scotland, Brian reveals his ambivalent feelings
about being Scottish; the inspiration behind his late blooming movie career; why
he only recently laid down roots in America; his views on the state of the Scottish
film industry; and how he remains grounded despite his ever-growing profile.
Contributors include Richard Jobson, Cox's wife Nicole Ansari, Paul Greengrass
(director of The Bourne Supremacy) and David Milch (creator of Deadwood and NYPD
Blue).
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www.bbc.co.uk/arts
www.bbc.co.uk/music
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