Brian Cox Turned Down Roles In Some Of The Most Successful Franchises Of The Decade!

Scottish actor Brian Cox has gained international recognition for his work with the Royal Shakespeare Company and in the Royal National Theater.

He has gone on to appear in "Manhunter," "Braveheart," "Churchill," and the hit HBO series "Succession."

However, Cox has been up for a ton of roles in popular series, including "Game of Thrones," "Pirates of the Caribbean," and even "Harry Potter!"

In his upcoming memoir, "Putting the Rabbit in the Hat," Cox revealed that he has turned down many exciting roles throughout his career.

In one particular passage in the memoir, which was published by GQ, Cox explained that he turned down a role in the HBO "Game Of Thrones" series because "the money was not all that great."

The series "Game of Thrones" is based on the book series written by George R.R. Martin. Although the pop culture juggernaut was one of the biggest shows of all time, Cox has no regrets about his decision to turn down a role in the show.

"I'm often asked if I was offered a role in 'Game of Thrones' — reason being that every other bugger was — and the answer is, yes, 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 wrote. "I know very little about 'Game of Thrones', so I can't tell you whether or not he was an important character, and I'm not going to google it just in case he was, because I turned it down."

Apparently, Cox wasn't too excited by the thought of being killed off by a boar!

"Why? Well, 'Game of Thrones' went on to be a huge success and everybody involved earned an absolute fortune, of course," he continued. "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."

He concluded, "So I passed on it, and Mark Addy was gored by the boar instead. (I lied. I did google it.)"

The esteemed actor was also offered a chance to star in the "Harry Potter" series, which was based on the book series by J.K. Rowling. The series also jumpstarted the careers of child actors Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter), RupertGrint (Ron Weasley), and EmmaWatson(Hermione Granger).

Cox also talked about why he never had a role in the fantasy film series, which is something he has been asked about throughout the years.

"'Harry Potter.' That's another one they ask me about. Harry f---ing Potter," he wrote. "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," he wrote. "Also, he's much better than I would have been."

Brendan Gleeson's son, Domhnall Gleeson, also appeared in the franchise as Bill Weasley, before he jumped into another major franchise - "Star Wars" - as First Order General Hux.

Apparently, Cox was up for the role of Governor Swann in "Pirates of the Caribbean" too!

"It would have been a money-spinner, but of all the parts in that film it was the most thankless, plus I would have ended up doing it for film after film and missed out on all the other nice things I've done," he wrote.

Apparently, he's not a fan of Johnny Depp either, who starred as Captain Jack Sparrow. Elsewhere in the book, Cox calls Depp "so overblown" and "so overrated."

"I mean, 'Edward Scissorhands'," Cox wrote. "Let's face it, if you come on with hands like that and pale, scarred-face makeup, you don't have to do anything. And he didn't. And subsequently, he's done even less."

"But people love him," he admitted. "Or they did love him. They don't love him so much these days, of course. If Johnny Depp went for Jack Sparrow now, they'd give it to Brendan Gleeson."

His memoir "Putting the Rabbit in the Hat" is now available for purchase at bookstores and at most major retailers.