Jeremy Strong hit headlines throughout Succession’s five-year run due to his unique form of method acting and his views on the show.
The dramedy, which concluded on Sunday night, featured the actor, 44, as Kendall Roy, the son of media mogul Logan Roy, who joins his siblings in battling to win the crown of CEO of their father’s media conglomerate.
In 2021, the actor hit headlines after a profile in The New Yorker revealed that he does not see the show, which is written by the brains of Peep Show Jesse Armstrong, as a comedy and that he also refused to break character on-set.
Following widespread uproar and mockery over the comments, his co-stars had plenty to say about his views and even how his acting impacted their performance, which producer Adam McKay said was ‘the reason he was cast’.
On his role as Kendall, Jeremy said: ‘To me, the stakes are life and death. I take him as seriously as I take my own life’. So what did his co-stars have to say?
Strong performance: Jeremy Strong hit headlines throughout Succession’s five-year run due to his unique form of method acting and his views on the show
Ahem: The dramedy, which concluded on Sunday night, featured the actor, 44, as Kendall Roy, the son of media mogul Logan Roy, who joins his siblings in battling to win the crown of CEO of their father’s media conglomerate
BRIAN COX – Logan Roy: ‘F**king annoying’
Brian played Kendall’s father Logan in the series. He is the founder of Waystar Royco, the company known for controlling the biggest media and entertainment company.
When he steps down, the fight between Kendall and his siblings kicks off to see who will succeed their father – particularly after his death in series four.
Brian has been the most vocal of the stars in detailing his feelings about how Jeremy addresses his art – causing shockwaves when he said: ‘Oh, it’s f**king annoying [when he doesn’t break character]. Don’t get me going on it.’
He went on: ‘He’s still that guy, because he feels if he went somewhere else he’d lose it. But he won’t! Strong is talented. He’s f**king gifted. When you’ve got the gift, celebrate the gift. Go back to your trailer and have a hit of marijuana, you know?’
Shock: Brian played Kendall’s father Logan in the series. He is the founder of Waystar Royco, the company known for controlling the biggest media and entertainment company
‘But we weather it because we love him and because the result is always extraordinary, what he does. But at the same time, there is the double-edged sword that goes with it.’
He later lauded Jeremy again, saying: ‘He’s a very good actor. And the rest of the ensemble is all okay with this. But knowing a character and what the character does is only part of the skill set.’
In response, Jeremy said: ‘Everyone’s entitled to have their feelings. I also think Brian Cox, for example, he’s earned the right to say whatever the f**k he wants. There was no need to address that or do damage control…
‘I feel a lot of love for my siblings and my father on the show. And it is like a family in the sense that — and I’m sure they would say this, too — you don’t always like the people that you love. I do always respect them.
‘Am I going to adjust or compromise the way that I’ve worked my whole life and what I believe in? There wasn’t a flicker of doubt about that…
‘I’m still going to do whatever it takes to serve whatever it is. Which is not to say that that is the same thing as riding roughshod over other people…
‘It has to do with autonomous concentration. It’s a very solitary thing. I think there’s very low impact on others except for what they might want to project onto it and how that might make them feel.’
Denial: In 2021, the actor hit headlines after a profile in The New Yorker revealed that he does not see the show, which is written by the brains of Peep Show Jesse Armstrong, as a comedy and that he also refused to break character on-set
Uh oh: Kevin, 40, who plays Kendall’s younger brother Roman, was the star to reveal Jeremy’s resistance to brand the show a comedy
KEIRAN CULKIN – Roman Roy: ‘It’s a battle. Not a dance’
Kevin, 40, who plays Kendall’s younger brother Roman, was the star to reveal Jeremy’s resistance to brand the show a comedy.
He said: ‘After the first season, he said something to me like, “I’m worried that people might think that the show is a comedy”…
‘And I said, ‘I think the show a comedy. He thought I was kidding.
He explained that the method acting is not something he enjoys, saying: ‘[His method] might be something that helps him. I can tell you that it doesn’t help me’.
‘It’s hard for me to actually describe his process, because I don’t really see it. He puts himself in a bubble…. The way Jeremy put it to me is that, like, you get in the ring, you do the scene, and at the end each actor goes to their corner…
‘I’m like, ‘This isn’t a battle. This is a dance.’
Shocker: Sarah stars as Jeremy’s on-screen sister Shiv, who betrayed Kendall on Sunday night’s finale leading to her husband’s victory
SARAH SNOOK – Shiv Roy: ‘He is great’
Sarah stars as Jeremy’s on-screen sister Shiv, who betrayed Kendall on Sunday night’s finale leading to her husband’s victory.
She too weighed in on the furore around his method acting, saying: ‘Jeremy is great. He is a very singular, unique person and actor and he works in a different way than other people. We all work in different ways. We all have a different process’.
Winner: Matthew, who plays eventual winner of the CEO role on the show, Tom, insisted the discussion was not needed and discounted from the rest of the talent
MATTHEW MACFADYEN – Tom Wambsgans: ‘I find it aggravating’
Matthew, who plays eventual winner of the CEO role on the show, Tom, insisted the discussion was not needed and discounted from the rest of the talent.
He said of the constant conversation, he said: ‘I find it slightly aggravating because — it makes [the show] about one thing, and it’s an ensemble piece…
‘You think of [fellow cast members] J. Smith-Cameron (Gerri Kellman) and Alan Ruck (Connor Roy), who are f**king extraordinary actors. [Strong] is not the main event.’
‘I look at Jeremy — that’s Kendall Roy, and so my heart starts banging a bit faster…
‘Because I’ve made the imaginative leap. Because that’s my job. It’s not about what I’m feeling or what state I’ve got myself in before, or any of that. That’s not to say that’s wrong. That’s just not useful.’
Shocking: The show comprised a war between the family over who would be crowned CEO
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