BAFTA did an interview with him during a special segment, and it was open to delegates and the general public. The event sold out. I went with a friend, and we got there early enough to get really good seats. The lady interviewing Mr. Cox seemed a tad uncomfortable in front of all those people. My friend said he was disappointed that the setup was so formal. He felt that it would have been better if Mr. Cox had come in with jeans and a sweater on.
The interview flowed nicely, and the interviewer allowed him to answer questions at his own pace. His answers went from one thing to the next and she never cut him off. I really liked that.
I learned a lot about him that I didn’t know. He’s a classically trained theater actor. Films were secondary, even though he’s loved the cinema since he was little. He grew up in Dundee, and started out in Repertory Theater. He auditioned for and got into LAMDA at the age of 16 (he actually started at age 17).
Brian Denehey came to see Mr. Cox in a stage show, and they became friends. Mr. Denehey recommended him to Michael Mann when he was casting for Manhunter, and upon being cast as Hannibel Lector, he started working in films.
Film clips from Manhunter, Rushmore, Adaptation, The Bourne Supremacy, and his new film Red were shown during the interview.
There was an audience question and answer session at the end, but nobody really asked any good questions.
As he was attempting to leave, a few people gathered around him for autographs. I didn’t bring anything cool for him to sign (because I hadn’t realized he was going to be there), so I got him to sign my catalogue. Here’s some pictures from the event.
