I love Satyajit Ray films, says Brian Cox

"I am an admirer of films made by Satyajit Ray, specially 'Pather Panchali'. I have been to India in the mid-1980s," Cox told mediapersons here.

He is here for the screening of a selection of films from his country that began Monday. He has chosen nine Scotish films which will be screened at the Nandan film complex. Out of them, two star Cox himself and one is his directorial venture called "Jute Journey".

"It was very difficult to choose the nine films. It as as if I was choosing between my children," he said.
Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle's "Trainspotting" has also been included in the bouquet.
Cox is known for his work with the Royal Shakespeare Company where he gained great recognition for the portrayal of King Lear. He also played King Agamemnon in Hollywood movie "Troy".

British Council and Nandan is hosting the four-day film fest as part of a cultural cooperation between India and the United Kingdom.

Cox credits Indian girl as his acting guru

 It was a naive suggestion by a 16-year-old Indian girl which inspired Emmy award-winning Hollywood actor Brian Cox to change his acting style and he credits her for bringing about a phenomenal change in his career.
Way back in 1980, Cox best known for his roles in 'Troy', 'X-Men 2' and 'Bourne Supremacy', was back stage after a performance in Mumbai, when his dresser came up to him and innocently remarked that he should be more expressive.
"Without being offensive, the girl said that she found my acting to be interesting enough and I have an enormous potential. She said that she could feel that I want to express myself physically, but I don’t do that," Cox said here.
"I told her that in my country Scotland the culture is different. If I expresses myself too much, I might be accused of overacting. But she insisted that I should let myself go with the flow."

Paying heed to her advice, Cox started expressing himself more and more in a physical way thereafter.
"After another performance, she said I am doing very well, but I can still do much better. I got inspired by her to the extent that it changed the way I act in a miraculous way. I don't remember her name now, but will always be grateful to her," he said.

The 63-year-old star is in the city to present his personal selection of Scottish films at Nandan as part of the 'Scotland-Kolkata Cuts', a British Council programme.

Cox won an Emmy Award and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in 2001 for his portrayal of Hermann Goring in the television mini-series `Nuremberg`. He is also a recipient of BAFTA Scotland Award for Best Acting Performance in 'The Escapist'.
While praising renowned Bengali filmmaker Satyajit Ray, the actor said he liked watching his masterpiece 'Pather Panchali'.
"I haven't watched many Indian movies, but I do like Satyajit Ray's works, 'Pather Panchali' in particular. I think that a lot of Scottish films have been influenced by Indian films," said Cox, who made a documentary 'Jute Journey' last year about his hometown, Dundee and its link to Kolkata.

Disapproving films made on terrorism-related themes, he said there is nothing original to watch in such films.
"We really do not need so many films on terrorism. Already much of terrorism is all around us, so why make films on that? I think film-makers are always eager to join the bandwagon, and this time it is terrorism. But nothing original remains in such films," he said.
Although he loves dabbling between theatre and films, Cox said that the real test of an actor lies in performing on the stage.
"I try and make a good mix of theatre and films. But I have always gone back to acting in theatres as I believe that the real test for any actor lies in theatre. There, you get the focus and you have to hold it," he said.

Asked if he prefers critical acclaim over box-office success, the actor quipped by saying that he enjoys his work more than anything else.
"Critical acclaim is always great. And it's nice to see your film becoming a blockbuster. But for me, it's all about doing your work. I enjoying working more than anything else," Cox said.
He said, "Acting is all about studying human behaviour. You need to know what motivates human beings, and how stupid they are. When you reflect back in your life, you often realise how stupid you were earlier. It is this chance to be able to reflect life that gives the most enjoyment to me."
On the most challenging role he has played, he said he found playing a paedophile in the 2001 American film ‘LIE’ to be very difficult.
"It was very hard to play that role of a paedophile. I had to do a lot of research and try and understand the psychological aspects of such a person," he said.
Interestingly, Cox doesn't prefer watching his own films. "I tend not to watch my own films. It is because I found it hard to look at myself. But occasionally, I do watch my films," he said adding that he was influenced by cinema at a very early age.