Book 1 Post 1

    I chose to read the book Putting the Rabbit in the Hat by Brian Cox, because I’ve always been infatuated by the individuals within the elite entertainment industry, and overall Hollywood culture. In particular, I am intrigued by the evolution of someone like Brian Cox’s career, who has made a renowned name for himself out of seemingly nothing. I am currently majoring and working in the Music Industry, and hope to work in the specific supervision and film scoring realm that would expose me to similar circumstances that Cox has encountered. The complex characters he's played in TV and film productions throughout his career, such as Logan Roy in Succession, has piqued my interest as to how his personal journey and development have influenced his chosen roles and success. His story begins with his challenging upbringing in Scotland, riddled by sudden tragedies such as the loss of his father and instability of his mother, all of which shaped him into the person he is today. I am definitely inspired by his openness in regards to sharing his struggles, as well as his unfiltered opinions on other actors or topics throughout that generally keep me very engaged. 

So far, I am enjoying the book and Cox’s candid, witty writing style. He demonstrates his mechanism of humor to cope with tragedy, especially through using film as an outlet for emotional release; he says “I went to the cinema regularly, obsessively, religiously. Those days I used to plunk off school? If the timing was right, then I went to the cinema…” (Cox, 82). He explains how his love for the movies bonded him and his mom, as she was “very keen on the cinema, of course. Apparently she went all the time when she was pregnant with me, and in fact my sister Irene used to say it was why I got into acting—because I’d been absorbing it in the womb” (Paige 91).  His diction is authentic and engaging,l and conveys a sense of relatability by balancing tragedy with the hopeful notes of childhood stories. These specific anecdotes facilitate a deeper understanding into how his childhood interests and obstacles ultimately ignited his love for theater and acting, and eventually manifested itself into the success he has today. I hope that the rest of this book will offer me a deeper exploration into the highs and lows behind his Hollywood career, the intricacies of his acting method, and the ways in which he navigated the struggles of such a complex industry.