It’s time to move, says Succession star Brian Cox

He’s stepped off the Succession set and got behind the desk to deliver a ‘scary’ message to workers.

Brian Cox as the scary boss. Picture: Supplied

Brian Cox, aka Logan Roy in streaming series Succession, is an actor, not a corporate player, but he reckons many of the physical and mental pressures on desk workers have a similar impact on television stars.

Cox says that like everyone else, his work has become more intense thanks to technology.

“Everything seems so much faster and everything is so immediate,” he says.

“Gone are the days of learning a scene and then turning up at an audition and seeing people. Now everything is done remotely; I think that is hard on young actors.”

Cox, who spent several years in his lead role as a “scary boss” in the streaming hit show, is currently starring in a campaign to get workers to walk away from their computers for short breaks several times a day. There’s every chance the 78-year-old’s “public service announcement” will go viral.

In a neat bit of video marketing, Cox warns workers the real stress-factor in the office is not a “scary boss” like Logan Roy, but your desk.

The Scottish actor, who has spent his life in theatres and on film and television sets, tells younger office workers to resist perks such as “free fruit or Wellness Wednesdays”, and instead take a regular break from the desk. “Move for your mind,” he lectures.

The campaign is being run for World Mental Health Day on Thursday by ASICS, the company that sells running shoes to the world and has a vested interest in getting sedentary people to move. ASICS is an acronym for the Latin phrase “anima sana in corpore sano” – a sound mind in a sound body.

The company has financed research by Dr Brendon Stubbs, of King’s College, London, which it says shows that just 15 minutes a day of movement during office hours can improve stress levels, confidence and an overall sense of wellbeing.

The study argues our “mental state” starts to decline after only two hours of continuous desk-based working, but that 15 minutes of exercise can help to reverse that effect.

Cox hasn’t had to worry about getting stuck behind a desk, but in an email interview he said the message is the same in any work – take a break, clear your mind.

Brian Cox out from behind the desk and ready to move.

“Research has shown that desk workers are so much more vulnerable to mental health issues, and without seeing the signs or learning to walk away for 15 minutes here and there throughout the day, you could be in trouble,” he says.

“It’s so important to find the balance. Being in a better state of mind is so much more productive. There is nothing better than going for a short walk or just sitting outside and being quiet to restore you.

“We all get so absorbed into what we are doing that often we just forget and then wonder why we don’t feel so good.”

Cox himself is feeling very good, with no plans for retirement despite having to manage a diabetic condition: “You just learn to live with these things.” He has just directed a film, Glenrothan, the story of two estranged brothers who return to their home town to try to save the family’s distillery.

The King’s College experiment, involving 26,000 people around the globe, found that adding 15 minutes of movement each day improved overall state-of-mind scores by 22.5 per cent, and a daily desk break for one week lowered stress levels by 14.7 per cent, boosted productivity by 33.2 per cent and improved focus by 28.6 per cent.

Participants reported feeling 33.3 per cent more relaxed and 28.6 per cent more calm and resilient. As well, 79.2 per cent of participants said they would be more loyal to their employers if offered regular movement breaks.