Succession star Brian Cox revealed he turned down iconic roles in Game of Thrones, Harry Potter and Pirates of the Caribbean.
In an excerpt published in GQ from his upcoming memoir, Putting the Rabbit in the Hat, Cox admits to being offered the role of King Robert Baratheon before turning it down.
The 75-year-old swerved the offer to act in the hit HBO series, admitted that he is often asked about it and revealed the he was presented with the opportunity - along with "every other bugger".
He said: "I was supposed to be a king called Robert Baratheon, who apparently died when he was gored by a boar in the first season."
He confessed he knows very little about the show and doesn't want to know how big the part was since he rejected the opportunity.
Brian continued: "Game of Thrones went on to be a huge success and everybody involved earned an absolute fortune, of course. But when it was originally offered the money was not all that great, shall we say.
"Plus I was going to be killed off fairly early on, so I wouldn’t have had any of the benefits of the long-term effects of a successful series where your wages go up with each passing season.
"So I passed on it, and Mark Addy was gored by the boar instead. (I lied. I did google it.)"
Brian also admitted that he turned down the opportunity to star in two huge franchises, Pirates of the Caribbean and Harry Potter.
He said: "Harry Potter. That’s another one they ask me about.
"Harry f*****g Potter. I think someone had a burning cross held up for me not to be in Harry Potter, because all my pals were in it.
"I think the part I might have played was the one that Brendan Gleeson got, Mad-Eye Moody, but Brendan was more in fashion than I was at that point, and that’s very much the way of the world in my business, so he got it.
"Also, he’s much better than I would have been."
In November, Brian revealed he has sympathy for actor Alec Baldwin following the star's incident on set in which cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was accidentally killed.
Brian said he "felt" for the star because the same thing almost happened to him earlier in his career.
The Emmy-winning actor had his say in an appearance on This Morning.
He said he "burnt the guy's nose" and said the minor blank going off when he was in theatre was a "horrific" moment.
Brain said it was "nothing like" when Baldwin went through last month and feels sorry for him.
Speaking to Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield at the time, the Succession star said: "In this situation I can’t imagine the young woman had the most promising career.
"It is also tragic for Alec, for this to happen my heart completely goes out to him."
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