Actor Tim Roth’s Journey Through Grief: Love, Loss, and the Waves That Follow
Date: Monday 19 May 2025
''How you grieve is as individual as a fingerprint,” says Roth. “Now with my friends and family I see that everyone is doing and handling that differently and need to be respected for it''
Here in the quiet, we can sit with the weight of Tim Roth’s story—a man who, in the midst of portraying grief on screen, found himself living it in the most personal and devastating way. His son, Cormac, a guitarist and composer, who had been diagnosed with stage 3 germ cell cancer a year earlier, passed away at just 25 shortly after Roth completed filming Poison, a film about parents navigating the aftermath of their child’s death. It’s a story that feels almost too raw, too close to the bone, and yet it offers a profound reflection on the nature of loss.
“There is no one way of grieving,” Roth says. “Otherwise, there would be a cure for it.” These words carry a truth that many of us know but rarely speak aloud. Grief is not a problem to be solved or a wound to be neatly stitched up. It’s a landscape we’re thrust into, one that shifts and changes with time, but never truly disappears. For Roth, the act of making the film Poison became a strange and poignant preparation for the journey he would soon face—a journey that no one can prepare for, no matter how much we think we understand.
The film itself, set in a real cemetery, explores the fractured relationship of a couple brought together by the death of their son. It’s a stark and unflinching look at how grief can isolate us, even from those who share our pain. Roth’s own experience mirrors this in some ways. He speaks of how his family and friends have each handled Cormac’s death differently, and how important it is to respect those differences. Grief, after all, is as individual as a fingerprint.
For men, this individuality can feel like a double-edged sword. Society often tells us to grieve in silence, to carry our pain alone, to “man up” and move on. But Roth’s story reminds us that there’s no right or wrong way to mourn. Whether it’s through the catharsis of art, the quiet support of loved ones, or simply surviving one day at a time, every path through grief is valid.
Roth’s reflections also highlight the importance of presence—of simply being there, even when words fail. His director, Désirée Nosbusch, understood this deeply. She gave him space during filming, offering support not through constant questions, but through quiet understanding. It’s a lesson we can all take to heart: sometimes, the best way to support someone in grief is not to fix or advise, but to simply hold space for them.
In the aftermath of Cormac’s death, Roth and his family described their grief as coming in waves—a sentiment that will resonate with anyone who has experienced loss. Some days, the tide recedes, and we can breathe. Other days, it crashes over us, leaving us gasping for air. And yet, within this ebb and flow, there is also a kind of resilience. Roth speaks of Cormac’s motto: “Make sure you do the things you love.” It’s a reminder that even in the shadow of loss, life continues, and there is still joy to be found.
For those of us navigating our own grief, or supporting someone who is, Roth’s story offers a quiet kind of hope. It doesn’t promise a cure or an easy resolution—because there isn’t one. But it does remind us that we’re not alone in this. Grief is a universal experience, one that connects us even in its isolation. And while it may never fully leave us, it can also teach us to cherish the moments we have, to hold our loved ones a little closer, and to find meaning in the things we love.
Here in the Third Space, we don’t need to have all the answers. We can simply sit with the questions, with the pain, and with the quiet understanding that grief, like love, is a testament to the depth of our connections. If that’s what’s showing up for you today, we can stay with it. What’s one thing you’d want to say to someone you’ve lost, if you could?
Read the full article here: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/may/19/grief-tim-roth-son-bereavement-poison
Want to know more about how men deal with grief? Chat with BraveheartGPT and explore that space with him below