Video: Brian Cox and Patricia Clarkson Defend Casting 'Celebrities' in Theatre Roles

In an interview with the Independent, Long Day's Journey into Night stars Brian Cox and Patricia Clarkson responded to the idea that celebrities are used as a marketing tactic in the theatre. 

The question was posed in response to Jeremy O. Harris's assertion to the Guardian last month that casting big-name celebrities "takes away from great theatre because people treat it like a Disney World attraction, where the play is background to the amusement of seeing their favourite celebrity in front of them.”

Kit Harrington, who played Jon Snow in Game of Thrones, will star in Harris's Slave Play in the West End this summer.

“It depends what you mean by celebrities. It’s people who have earned their spurs as actors”, stated Cox.

"[Sarah Jessica Parker] should be starring in play," said Patricia Clarkson, responding to journalist Laura Kuenssberg's reference to Parker in the West End's Plaza Suite as an example of one of these celebrities.

Cox went on to say: “I’ve done a fair amount over the years in the theatre... it’s a kind of nonsense in a way. Half the journalists don't even know what the f*** they're talking about most of the time, quite frankly.”

Long Day's Journey into Night, starring Brian Cox and Patricia Clarkson, is currently in previews at London’s Wyndham’s Theatre with an opening night on Tuesday 2 April 2024.

Emmy award-winning actor Brian Cox plays James Tyrone, in his first West End role in almost a decade. He is joined by Golden Globe and Emmy award-winning actress Patricia Clarkson as matriarch Mary Tyrone alongside BAFTA award-nominee Daryl McCormack as James Jr, Laurie Kynaston as Edmund and Louisa Harland as Cathleen.

Test and expand your Broadway knowledge with our new game - The Broadway Match-Up! How well do you know your Broadway casting trivia?	Play the Daily Game, explore current shows, and delve into past decades like the 2000s, 80s, and the Golden Age. Challenge your friends and see where you rank!
How well do you know your Tony Awards history? Take our never-ending quiz of nominations and winner history and challenge your friends.	Can you beat your friends? Play today’s daily Broadway word game, featuring a new theatrically inspired word or phrase every day!