Brian Cox portrayed Argyle Wallace in the 1995 award-winning blockbuster film Braveheart. However, he initially passed on the project due to concerns with its script. In a recent interview, he recounted how Mel Gibson’s insistence ultimately made him agree to do the film.
Inaccuracies in the script prompted Cox to initially turn down Braveheart
In an interview with Screentime, Cox revealed that his initial hesitation to join the project was due to the script. What bothered him was historical inaccuracy, particularly the relationship between Wallace and the French princess, claiming that their romantic union was fabricated. In reality, Isabella was a child living in France at the time of Wallace’s rebellion and never met him.
“I was not in it originally. In fact, I had turned it down because I had some questions about the script. Just in terms of the reality, I mean, there is no way that he impregnated the Princess of France. I mean, that’s nonsense,” Cox stated.
He further went on to say that Mel Gibson, who played the leading role in the movie, insisted that he be in the film, giving him the option to choose his part.
“Mel insisted that I be in the film. Well, Mel, there’s nothing for me to play. He said, surely there is something. I said the only person I think I could play is Uncle Argyle. I said because he’s in and he’s out,” he further stated.
Cox played Argyle Wallace, who was the uncle and mentor to Gibson’s character, William Wallace, taking him under his wing and training him to be a warrior after he was orphaned. Nevertheless, he credited the film’s success to Gibson’s character, which he called “extraordinary.”
“The fact that Wallace is such an extraordinary character. This bid for freedom. It’s iconic,” Cox said.
Despite the historical inaccuracies in the film that Cox had issues with, it became a huge commercial hit, and won multiple Academy awards. The Succession star holds Gibson in high regard, stating in previous interviews that he was “wonderful to work with” despite his trashing the script of the historical epic.
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