Brian Cox: I'm so proud of my fellow Dundee citizens

Brian Cox attended a retrospective of his career at Dundee Contemporary Arts

An outside photo shoot with a Hollywood star can be a big deal, but Dundonians tend not to make a fuss when Brian Cox is back in town.

Cox has returned home for a retrospective of his movie career of more than half a century.

But apart from the odd shouted greeting and tooting horns from passing cars, it's a low-key affair as he poses outside Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA).

The 76-year-old says it's always been that way, since his first flush of fame.

"Dundonians don't do that, we're all Jock Tamson's bairns," he said.

"My mother's greatest praise would be "oh it's quite nice" and that was high praise indeed."

Cox's show Succession recently won an Emmy for outstanding drama series

Cox is in the city following a worldwide book tour and a break from filming the fourth season of the hit series Succession, where he plays fearsome Dundee-born media tycoon Logan Roy.

He also recently completed a documentary on the subject of money, which included a visit to a Dundee community larder which provides food to people in need.

The actor said it had been a humbling experience.

Cox said: "This gentleman comes in and he's quite frail, he's got a stick and he's got a sign on his arm.

"He said I don't come here for my family, I do it for the people who can't get here.

"I asked him what was on his arm and he said he was blind.

"When you see that kind of heroism, that generosity of spirit, it makes me so proud of my fellow citizens."

The Dundee-born actor made his first film in 1971

A frequent visitor to his hometown, Cox says that "you cannot dismiss your heritage."

He said: "People have written Dundee off so many times.

"I'm very proud of the city and particularly proud of the people because they are so resilient and they've had a tough time.

"They call it the city of discovery, but I would prefer to think that it's the city of survival."

Find more stories about Dundee:

• Discovery: The ship that put Dundee on the map

• The people stitching the history of their city

• Forensic experts review 1912 murder of heiress

Logan Roy is not the first Dundee-born businessman that Cox has played.

That honour goes to writer Neil Forsyth's cheeseburger magnate Bob Servant, who Cox played in two BBC series.

I jokingly ask if Bob Servant is the anti-Logan-Roy?

"Of course he is," Cox smiles.

"Logan's a sad character in many ways because he's carved from his roots. Bob is quite a different character.

"The humour is very surreal and that's what Neil Forsyth caught brilliantly about, Bob, he's a surrealist.

"He doesn't live in a world that's rooted in any kind of anxiety, he's free, he lives in his imagination.

"I think in the east coast it's the light, I think that makes for a different kind of humour."

Cox, pictured with co-star Jonathan Watson, starred as Bob Servant in two BBC series

Cox tells me he's comfortable looking back over his career at events like the DCA retrospective.

He said: "I never wanted to concentrate and focus on one element, it was all about the range of stuff that you do.

"There are some people who follow a much narrower path or they devote themselves to the theatre and, you know, I have great admiration for that.

"But I've always tried to reinvent myself every few years, so I'm not stuck in a particular groove.

"I have been very lucky in my career, and I'm so grateful for it."

Find more stories about Brian Cox:

• Brian Cox: Succession role makes me swear more

• Scottish actor Brian Cox strikes gold in Hollywood

• Succession's Cox on why he stopped backing Labour

I mention the episode of Succession where Logan Roy returns to Dundee, and the only glimmer of happiness from the character is when he sees the city's Magdalen Green Bandstand.

Is there a Dundee landmark that fills Cox with warmth when he returns to the city?

He says the view from Dundee Law, where the city's past and present is there to see, and the approach to Dundee from the Tay Bridge.

He said: "I mean the palpitations start, because there's no approach like it.

"Suddenly there it is and it's just my heart going a little bit faster.

"Logan's relationship to Dundee is very different from my relationship to Dundee.

"I have so many happy memories of Dundee, and I've also got a few unhappy memories.

"I also think Dundee gives you fibre, you know, in terms of who you are."

Cox's movie roles include playing Argyle Wallace in Mel Gibson's Braveheart

One of the films in the retrospective is Wes Anderson's Rushmore, where Cox plays Dr Nelson Guggenheim.

The movie's main character Max Fischer says that "the secret" is to "find something that you love to do and do it for the rest of your life."

I ask Cox if he has succeeded in that respect?

"Oh, absolutely," he says.

"The great thing about doing my job is you enjoy yourself every time because it's so it's so life-enhancing.

"It's the real religion to me.

"There's something about going to a theatre and what happens to an audience when they're confronted with their own humanity.

"Shakespeare says, holding the mirror up to nature, and that's the joy, it's quite sacred in that way.

"The harmony that comes in an audience when they have that, that kind of focus.

"It's priceless, it's absolutely priceless."