The recent slew of high profile layoffs at Turner Classic Movies sent shockwaves through the film community. Many saw the ousting of longtime executives who shaped TCM into a beloved resource for movie buffs as a sign that Warner Bros. Discovery was planning to neglect or even eliminate the network. News of the shakeup led to increased attention on TCM, with many prominent voices advocating for its role in the current cinema landscape.
While the studio was able to tamp down the outrage by announcing that Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and Paul Thomas Anderson would be involved in the network’s new programming efforts, TCM’s long term health is a topic of concern for cinephiles around the world.
While gutting a beloved network to save on costs sounds like something Logan Roy might pull on “Succession,” Brian Cox counts himself among TCM’s most ardent supporters. In a new interview with Above the Line, Cox voiced his support for Turner Classic Movies and the work that the network does to keep film history alive.
“I’ve just written a thing for Facebook because I’m horrified,” Cox said. “The head of Warner Brothers, once they get rid of TCM/Turner Classic Movies, which I think is one of the most vital resources — and certainly Robert Osborne set that up, and the five gals who run it now. I mean, who’s an expert on film? I just love that sense of who we are, where we’ve come from, and our history. It’s vital to me that we see that and live it.”
Cox explained that he doesn’t just see the network as a history lesson — he uses the timeless acting in classic films as inspiration for his own craft.
“For me, the history of cinema, the watching of it, and the way that TCM presents it are incredible resources because they really make me understand how far we’ve traveled,” he said. “But also how far we haven’t traveled. You know, we’ve traveled technically, but in terms of the truth of acting, there are no more true players than Spencer Tracy or Katherine Hepburn. And you see them together in what they create, so the cinema has always been vital to me. Absolutely vital.”
