'Succession' Star Brian Cox Explains Why he Fought for his Character to Use Gay Slur

On the most recent episode of HBO's incredibly popular drama "Succession," actor Brian Cox's character Logan Roy viciously uses a gay slur when talking to his son Roman (Kieran Culkin). It's a brief moment but an effective one; showcasing how casually terrible Logan is as a human and a father.

In a recent interview with Esquire magazine, the lauded Scottish actor discussed the moment, revealing that in the script Logan initially called Roman a "nancy," but Cox fought with "Succession" creator and showrunner Jesse Armstrong for the character to use the harsher slur "faggot."

Cox was asked about what "frustrates" him about "cancel culture," which led him to bringing up the moment.

"You have to accept the past and realize there were modes of behavior which were disagreeable, but they existed and they contribute to the now. There's a line of correction that has happened out of something that was horrific," he explained. "Logan Roy is a man who doesn't curb his language, so Jesse [Armstrong, the creator of 'Succession'] had written this line where I had to say, 'What are you a nancy?' I kept saying, 'I'm sorry but Logan wouldn't do that.' This is a horrible word, but he would say, 'a faggot,' because he's part of that generation."

"Cancel culture [is] not acknowledging history and the awful things that happened, it's trying to pretend it didn't happen," Cox continued. "You have to acknowledge where you've come from, warts and all. In the book, I had to say, 'Look I was not a good father, I was unfaithful,' and it's tough but that was part of what I was. At my age you have to just call a shovel a shovel."

Click here to check out Cox's full interview with Esquire, where he opens up about his personal life, his roles and much more.