Jeremy Strong says he has no plans to apologize for making fellow actors “uncomfortable” through his commitment to method acting.
The “Social Awakening” star said during Friday’s episode of the “New Yorker Radio Hour” podcast that his priority is to give himself completely to the work.
“If some people feel that I’m taking it too seriously, or it changes the molecules in the room in a way that makes something uncomfortable, I guess that’s something that I don’t feel that I need to apologize for,” he said.
Strong added that he and the directors he works with view his approach as a way to serve the material, while suggesting that many reactions to his process are rooted in personal feelings.
The 47-year-old actor stressed, however, that he never intends to disrupt another performer’s experience or interfere with anyone else’s method of working.
“First, do no harm, right? But commit to f—king what you’re doing, and utterly,” Strong said.
The Emmy winner has faced criticism before, most notably from his “Succession” co-star Brian Cox, who portrayed the family patriarch Logan Roy.
Cox objected to the way Strong remained immersed in the role of Kendall Roy, even after filming had ended for the day.
“Oh, it’s f—king annoying. Don’t get me going on it,” Cox, 80, told Town & Country in February 2023 when asked about Strong’s method acting.
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“He’s a very good actor, and the rest of the ensemble is all OK with this. But knowing a character and what the character does is only part of the skill set,” Cox said.
Cox later said that his pointed remarks were motivated less by frustration than by concern for his younger co-star.
“I just worry about what he does to himself,” Cox told The New Yorker in December 2021. “I worry about the crises he puts himself through in order to prepare.”
Strong has previously indicated that Cox’s comments did not offend him—and that they would not persuade him to change his approach.
“Everyone’s entitled to have their feelings,” Strong told GQ in February 2023. “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.”
He also emphasized the affection and respect he has for his “Succession” castmates. “I feel a lot of love for my siblings and my father on the show,” he said. “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.”
Strong’s latest role casts him as Mark Zuckerberg in “Social Reckoning,” an upcoming legal thriller written, co-produced and directed by Aaron Sorkin. The film serves as a standalone sequel to 2010’s “The Social Network” and explores the 2021 Facebook leak involving whistleblower Frances Haugen and journalist Jeff Horwitz.
On the podcast, Strong described his preparation for the part as an “investigative mission,” saying he studied Zuckerberg “intellectually and viscerally” to understand every aspect of the technology executive.
“I’m not thinking about my posture, how I hold my mouth or jawline. I’m not thinking about the voice. All of that by the time you walk on to a set — and if it hasn’t, you’re in trouble — has to become second skin,” he explained.
“Social Reckoning” is scheduled to arrive in theaters on Oct. 9.