Veteran actor Brian Cox has been everywhere on the screen for the past two years, appearing in such notable films as "The Rookie," "The Bourne Identity, "The Ring," "Adaptation" and most recently, "X2: X-Men United," where he played Professor X's chief nemesis William Stryker.

Yet for all the box office success and critical acclaim those films received, Cox feels empty knowing that another one of his films -- the Spike Lee drama "The 25th Hour" -- somehow managed to get away from theatergoers when it was released this past December. The film is new on video (Touchstone Home Entertainment) this week.

"I feel very blessed, especially working with Spike -- it was one of the best jobs ever," Cox told me in a recent @ The Movies interview. "We were just bemoaning the fact that this film has not had the respect it deserves, quite frankly. I think it's a superb film and one of the best films of last year. "I think it was systematically ignored, and I think a lot of it has to do with Spike. A lot of people have issues about Spike, which are all kind of pointless."

"Whatever kinds of beefs people may have with Lee, it meant nothing to Cox when it came to committing to do the film: he's admired the filmmaker for years.

"All you have you have to do is look at the body of his work to realize that he is the consummate first-class, world-class film director," Cox said. "He's right up there with the best of them. You realize that when you work with him because he has such a love of the work -- such love, compassion and energy. He's so good at doing it -- it's such a joy."

Edward Norton stars in "The 25th Hour" as Monty Brogan, a convicted drug-dealer who re-examines his life and seeks redemption in his last day of freedom before he goes off to prison for seven years. Cox plays his heartbroken father, a widower who experiences mixed emotions about his only child's fate in the waning hours of his freedom.

Fortunately, Cox hasn't had to face the same sort of dilemma in real life -- but as a parent, he still can relate.

"I have three kids -- a boy of 32, a daughter of 25 and a son of 15 months," Cox explained. "It's very funny, I look at my boy of 15 months and worry about his physical well-being because he keeps falling over. But I worry more about the blows of my other kids, because you can put ointment on their face, but you can't put ointment on somebody's soul, unfortunately."

Ultimately, Cox said, you have to eventually come to the acceptance that your kids will have to make their own decisions one day, whether you agree with them or not.

"At the end of the day, they are their own people," Cox said. "There comes a point when a parent lets go, but you never stop being a parent. It gets harder when they get older."

Learning From Youth

Cox, 56, has had a wonderful diverse career in feature films, dating back to the early 1970s.

Undoubtedly one of the reasons Cox has moved ahead in the business is because of the wiliness to learn no matter how much depth and experience he's acquired. And, in the case of "The 25th Hour," Cox freely admits that he's learned from some of the best young actors in the business.

"You're never beyond learning from somebody young," Cox explained to me. "That's where the future lies, in working with actors like Edward Norton, Barry Pepper or Phillip Seymour Hoffman. They have a tremendous energy about them -- they're the kids on the block and are a vital part of the pulse of the youth."

The key, he adds, is to remain open to all possibilities as an actor.

"As an actor, you must never close down. Experience is a given, nobody can take that away from you," Cox continued. "Sometimes, you say, 'Hey, I've done my rounds, I just didn't fall off of the turnip truck,' but that happens very rarely. For the most part you just have to go with the flow and let things carry on their own sweet way and just keep open, keep learning and keep of sense of awe and wonder."

Cox further illustrated his point by talking of his admiration of his "X2" director Bryan Singer, who is nearly 20 years his junior.

"Bryan is an extraordinary director," Cox said. "He's incredibly brilliant and probably the best improviser of all time in terms of how he puts the shot together and how he works in the moment. It's a great quality, and I think you have to be open to that. In order to do your best work, you have to be open and willing to throw all your stuff away."

Cox is currently at work in England on "Troy," a historical epic based on the events in Homer's "The Iliad." Cox plays Agamemnon and stars opposite Brad Pitt (Achilles), Orlando Bloom (Paris, Prince of Troy), Eric Bana (Hector, Prince of Troy) and Diane Kruger (Helen).

In addition to working with a diverse cast and director in Wolfgang Petersen, perhaps what excites Cox the most about working on the film is that it reteams him with the book author and screenwriter of "The 25th Hour," David Benioff.

"When was I sent the script for Troy, there was no cover page. I said, 'Who the hell wrote this, this is incredible!'" Cox recalled.

One thing that he did know was that the writing was as good as "The 25th Hour." So needless to say, it was a welcome surprise when he found who the screenwriter was.

"When I found out it was David, I couldn't believe it," Cox enthused. "I think David is a great writer -- he's a great novelist, and he's turning into an amazing screenwriter. I think Troy is what is going to do it for him. He's put a really unique script together."