Brian Cox's "tough" childhood was a "was a learning experience".
The Succession star, 79, grew up in Dundee, Scotland as the youngest of five children, but his early years were blighted by tragedy as his father died when Brian was just eight years old and his mother suffered a number of mental health issues, but the screen star is adamant the dark times helped shape him as a person.
He told the BBC: "People forget their roots. Your roots are so important to you, and that's why I prize my upbringing in Dundee ...
"No, it wasn't [terrible] - it was a learning experience. Yeah, it was tough. It was as tough as hell.
"You know, when your dad's dead when you're eight, and then you've got a mum who goes through a series of nervous breakdowns and has electric shock treatment, I mean, when she goes from a healthy 10-stone down to just over five-stone, you know, it's just appalling.
"But you live with it. You learn. But you do need people to say: 'Let's give people the best advantage'. And that is not happening."
Brian went on to insist he wants to use his twilight years to make his views heard and fight for causes he believes in.
He explained: "I'm a certain age now. The end is much nearer than the beginning. So I just feel that all I can do is protest.
"I can't do much more than protest, but I do protest because I believe that we need to give people a better break than we give them."
Brian previously admitted he fantasizes about how he's going to die - revealing he thinks about death "all the time" and has run through all the "different scenarios" about how he could pass away.
The actor even admitted his top choice would be to die at home with a cup of tea and the TV on.
He told the Guardian newspaper: "Yes, [I think about death] all the time. I have a fantasy every night about how I’m going to die. I don’t think about it in a depressing way. I just think of all the possible scenarios. When asked to share his "favourite" scenario.
Brian added: "Going without fuss, wrapped up in bed with a cup of tea, maybe with the telly on."
