Chris Wallace Fanbois Out With Succession’s Brian Cox — Says He Hopes To Be Told ‘F**k Off’ During Interview

CNN anchor Chris Wallace indulged his Succession fandom while interviewing star Brian Cox, and even expressed a hope Cox would deploy his profane signature line from the show — which Cox obliged.

On this week’s edition of HBO Max and CNN’s Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace, Wallace interviewed Cox and Hollywood star Eva Longoria.

Cox is the star of the HBO drama that begins its fourth season next week, and has introduced Cox — who holds the distinction of having been first to portray Hannibal Lecter on film in Michael Mann’s Red Dragon adaptation Manhunter — to a new generation of viewers.

Wallace spent a good chunk of the interview quizzing Cox about some rather granular details about the show, including a few minutes of coaxing him to use his character’s signature line “Fuck off!”:

WALLACE: All right, last question. And then I promise to move on to the rest of your life. You say in the book that an actor can own a line? And after he says it, nobody else can really ever say it again?

COX: Yeah

WALLACE: Your line is and I’d rather have you say it than me.

COX: Fuck off

WALLACE: Yes, exactly. How did that come about? Was that yours? Was that the writers’?

COX: No that was, that started, I don’t know how it started. I think it was. Jesse. I think it was the writing. certainly the writing was the writing that but but then I think it kind of envisaged its way through the whole show. You know, I don’t know if it was something that was meant as a theme. But it’s become something. I mean, people ask me to tell them a fuck off all the time. You know, I remember, I remember I was doing a play. I was playing LBJ.

WALLACE: President, Lyndon Johnson

COX: President Lyndon Johnson, you know, and I would come out of the show and come on after the performance. And there would be there was a, and this was the first time I had and there was a young couple of them. And she was about 17. And her boyfriend was probably about the same age. And they had the device and they and they came up to me and said, Mr. Cox, can you please tell us to fuck off. And I thought the world truly is crazy. That really, that really convinced me that we’re in such a mess

WALLACE: I’m not so sure. I kind of hoped that before this interview is over, you’ll say it to me.

COX: This is so astonishing, you know, so many people want to be told to fuck off to fuck off. The easiest thing in the world to say. Yes, quite happily, I’ll tell you a fuck off. Just fuck off.

WALLACE: But I have to say I don’t think CNN studio they’ve ever heard said that word that often.

This week’s episodes stream beginning Friday morning, and will be the final episodes of the show’s second season.

Watch above via HBO Max and CNN’s Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace.

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