Brian Cox hits promotional trail for his new memoir with discussion event in NYC

Brian Cox has mustered up an illustrious career as an actor by making his mark in film, theater and, most recently, the hit HBO television series Succession.

And in his new memoir, Putting The Rabbit In The Hat, the 75-year-old thespian details his journey as a working class lad from Scotland to a Hollywood star.

And on Friday, Cox slipped into promo mode and attended a launch event for the book at 92nd Street Y, a cultural and community center in New York City.

Ahead of the discussion, Cox hit the red carpet in brown slacks, a navy blue blazer over a blue-pattered shirt and tie, with brown shoes.

At one point, he posed for the cameras while holding up a copy of his memoir, which includes the details on why he turned down some famous roles in Game Of Thrones and the Harry Potter and Pirates of the Caribbean franchises.

Journalist Jessica Shaw also joined the celebrated actor for a few photos together, decked out in a shiny, off-white dress, which was worn over a black blouse, and black leather boots, with a lift.

The memoir officially dropped three days earlier, on January 18.

In it, he talks about some of the 230 film and TV roles he has accumulated during his career that spans more than 55 years.

He also dishes on why he turned down some very famous roles like King Robert Baratheon in Game of Thrones, who would ultimately be played by Mark Addy.

The Dundee, Scotland native had previously worked with Game of Thrones co-creator David Benioff on the 2002 movie The 25th Hour.

‘I’m often asked if I was offered a role in Game of Thrones – reason being that every other bugger was – and the answer is, yes, I was supposed to be a king called Robert Baratheon, who apparently died when he was gored by a boar in the first season,’ Cox said.

Cox confessed to knowing ‘very little about Game of Thrones’ and that he turned the role down because the money wasn’t that great.

‘Well, Game of Thrones went on to be a huge success and everybody involved earned an absolute fortune, of course. But when it was originally offered the money was not all that great, shall we say say,’ Cox explained.

‘Plus I was going to be killed off fairly early on, so I wouldn’t have had any of the benefits of the long-term effects of a successful series where your wages go up with each passing season. So I passed on it, and Mark Addy was gored by the boar instead,’ he said, adding, ‘I lied. I did google it.’

He also shares how the lack of good paying roles is ‘par for the course’ and that ‘there’s always been a tendency for American productions to treat British actors differently from American actors, and hire with lesser pay.

The actor revealed that he always gets asked about ‘Harry f***ing Potter.’ It turns out he was up for the role of Mad Eye Moody, which ultimately went to Brendan Gleeson.

‘I think someone had a burning cross held up for me not to be in Harry Potter, because all my pals were in it. I think the part I might have played was the one that Brendan Gleeson got, Mad-Eye Moody, but Brendan was more in fashion than I was at that point, and that’s very much the way of the world in my business, so he got it. Also, he’s much better than I would have been,’ Cox candidly shared.

Mad Eye Moody debuted in the fourth Harry Potter movie, 2005’s Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire and he also appeared in 2007’s Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix and 2010’s Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 1.

He confessed that he ‘turned my nose up’ at the role of the Governor in the Pirates Of The Caribbean movies, which was played by Jonathan Pryce.

‘The guy who directed Pirates was Gore Verbinski, with whom I made The Ring, and he’s a lovely chap but I think I blotted my copybook by turning down the Governor,’ Cox said.

Cox said the role would have been, ‘a money-spinner’ but added that the particular role was, ‘the most thankless.’

‘Plus I would have ended up doing it for film after film and missed out on all the other nice things I’ve done,’ he explained, before taking aim the Pirates franchise star, Johnny Depp.

‘Another thing with Pirates Of The Caribbean is that it’s very much the “Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow” show, and Depp, personable though I’m sure he is, is so overblown, so overrated,’ Cox claimed.

‘I mean, Edward Scissorhands. Let’s face it, if you come on with hands like that and pale, scarred-face make-up, you don’t have to do anything. And he didn’t. And subsequently, he’s done even less,’ Cox added.

‘But people love him. Or they did love him. They don’t love him so much these days, of course. If Johnny Depp went for Jack Sparrow now, they’d give it to Brendan Gleeson.’

‘So no—no regrets about Pirates, I don’t think,’ he concluded.

Following backlash from fans over his critique of Depp,  Cox appeared to walked back on his fiery comments.

“What certain people accused me of was my lack of respect, and I really do not disrespect anybody involved in this profession because I know how difficult it is,’ Cox said.

‘Now, I may have reservations about their talent, but I certainly don’t disrespect them. And my reservations about Johnny Depp are minimal — absolutely minimal.’

‘You know, I do think he’s sometimes overblown, but I actually think he’s also done some considerable work. Some of his work has really been extraordinarily good.’