Brian Cox slams Jake Gyllenhaal's Othello performance

Brian Cox has slammed Jake Gyllenhaal's Othello performance despite not having seen it.

The Succession actor also declared ticket prices for American theatre shows "too much money".

"There's amazing shows and hits, but there's too much money stuff involved in American theatre," Brian, 78, told the audience at a London public talk.

"Where apparently, you're paying $1,000 (£750) a night to see Othello with Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal, who I hear is not particularly wonderful."

The staging of Shakespeare's play had been thrown into the spotlight recently for its relatively high ticket prices, which Brian sniped was detrimental to theatre in general.

"A friend of mine said they couldn't believe it, and they paid a f**kton," he fumed. "Excuse me, that's wrong. That balance is wrong because it puts the theatre in a whole different place."

He went on to further criticise 44-year-old Jake's performance of Iago in the play, despite not having attended the show himself.

"I mean, I've got nothing against Denzel Washington, good luck. And I think he should do it," Brian said. "I would like to direct him so you can get it right. Jake Gyllenhaal is another problem."

Othello director Kenny Leon defended the show's ticket prices in an interview with the Daily Mail, comparing the show to seeing a Los Angeles Lakers game or a Beyoncé concert.

"So to me, with a commercial industry, people are paying what they think it's worth," he explained.