Scotland needs “a little more confidence” in its approach to independence, Brian Cox said.
The Dundee-born actor spoke out Monday as he appeared with Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon at the Edinburgh International Book Festival to discuss his new book, The Lion of Dundee.
Sturgeon added that when he first became aware of Cox’s political views, he described Cox as a “new work enthusiast” before “taking a journey” to becoming an SNP supporter.
Commenting on how he came to support the party and Scottish independence, Cox said:
“So I was really happy to be in it and we got the biggest majority ever.
“And finally, Iraq was something that really got me hooked, and I thought Tony Blair’s arrogance about Iraq was terrible.
“And the country, the march of a million people, felt ignored and I thought, ‘Something’s wrong.
“And when the referendum was looming in 2014, I realized that social democracy was missing.
“And the only place social democracy seemed to exist was back in my home country.
“My country must be free. We must be free. We must be ourselves.”
“Anyone who comes here can tell the difference between the north and the south.
“It’s so clear now, Scotland is riper than ever.
“The only thing is I hope the Scottish people have a little more confidence.”
An independent Scotland “should not be individualistic”, he continued.
“We should put the country first, not the politics. Put the country first and democracy.”
