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If there’s one thing that Succession’s series finale revealed, it’s that Jeremy Strong is the real star of the HBO series. It seems as though his controversial method acting which divided the rest of the cast paid off. Of course, Strong’s presence only works because of creator Jesse Armstrong’s stellar scripts and the unbelievable talents of the rest of the main cast, including Sarah Snook, Kieran Culkin, Alan Ruck, Matthew MacFayden, J. Smith-Cameron, Nicholas Braun, and the insanely wealthy Brain Cox.
But the supporting cast was the show’s secret weapon. In a series of interviews conducted by Vulture, the best supporting cast members revealed their true thoughts on their sometimes deliciously reprehensible characters…
What Harriet Walter Said About Playing Lady Caroline Collingwood On Succession
While Harriet Walter may not be one of the Succession cast members that saw their net worths drastically increase as a result of the show’s success, there’s no doubt that more people know her now. This is mostly because Lady Caroline Collingwood steals every moment she’s on-screen. If Brian Cox’s presence as Logan Roy wasn’t enough to explain why Kendall, Shiv, and Roman are so messed up, in comes Lady Caroline to fill in the gaps.
In an interview with Vulture, Harriet Walter addressed how her character negatively impacted the development of her three children, particularly Sarah Snook’s Shiv.
“You wouldn’t want to be her daughter,” Walter admitted to Vulture before claiming that she enjoyed playing up the comedy in her character. “I began to see her whole sort of wittiness and “fun” as a very long-standing defense mechanism that partly comes from boredom, partly because she’s born into English aristocracy.”
Walter went on to say that Lady Caroline Collingwood has a very short attention span, thus making her a challenging mother to deal with.
“She hasn’t really got the discipline or the emotional vocabulary to be a mother. I told myself that was because she came from that echelon of British society that does not indulge in self-examination or emotional exchange. You get on with your life. You tough it out. And that’s what she expects of her children.”
Still, Harriet Walter blamed Brian Cox’s Logan for a portion of Lady Caroline’s poor relationship with Shiv, Roman, and Kendall.
“There’s an emotional manipulation that Logan is master of; the kind of emotional blackmail he uses on his children, singling them out and saying, You’re my favorite today. He’s created this division between them that I don’t think Caroline is responsible for. I don’t think she’s had favorites or any of that. I think she’s just done a runner because it was getting to be too much. Maybe one of them was 13, but for the rest of them, Come on, you’re old enough. That’s her attitude.”
What Juliana Canfield Said About Playing Jess On Succession
Juliana Canfield plays one of the only people of color in the world of Succession. Over the years, she has seen her character Jess become a more important player, subtly offering a contrast to the main characters. Not just because of the color of her skin, but because she clearly doesn’t share the same beliefs as the Roys.
In an interview with Vulture, Canfield explained how, up until the penultimate episode of the series, Jess hid her beliefs in order to progress in the Waystar Royco world.
“She really must leave her politics at the door, as I think many of the people who work at Waystar do. Then the worlds collide, all the divisions collapse, and she is standing in a right-wing-propaganda newsroom that is fixing an election for a white supremacist,” Canfield said to Vulture of the election of Jeryd Mencken at the hands of the Roy children.
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Still, Jess has some level of affection for Kendall, who at least momentarily pretended to be a social justice warrior in his crusade to bring down his father, Logan. But eventually, she sees how his ambition blinds him.
In her interview, Canfield explained that creator Jesse Armstrong had her slowly let Jess’s guard down.
“As time has gone on, Jess is never explicit about her disapproval or what she thinks about the cast of characters she’s constantly around, but I do think she’s very slowly thawing and getting more liberal with her mask.”
What Justin Kirk Said About Playing Jeryd Mencken On Succession
There have been a couple of “big bads” who have stepped in to fill the void left by Biran Cox’s Logan Roy after his sudden death in the third episode of the final season. One of whom is unquestionably Justin Kikr’s Jeryd Mencken. In so many ways, Mencken exemplifies a worst-case scenario for right-wing extremism in American politics. During an interview with Vulture, the perfectly cast actor revealed just how much fun it is to play someone of such a poor character.
“It’s always good to play a villain as an actor. Saying horrible stuff because it’s your job is the best. No one’s going to get mad, because it’s not real life. And of course, doing it with Jesse Armstrong and his room of folks writing the words — that’s high-end,” Kirk admitted to Vulture.
Kirk went on to say that his character isn’t exactly someone who currently exists in American politics. This is because he’s an alt-right figure who has a humungous vocabulary and is unquestionably charismatic.
“He’s a guy who maybe isn’t out there yet but could be tomorrow and is all the more dangerous for it.”
Kirk also admitted that he thinks Mencken truly believes the things he says, which also separates him from some of the real-life politicians out there.
Finally, he said that one of the best parts about playing Jeryd Mencken is the fact that his backstory isn’t entirely clear.
“That’s a fun thing Succession does: It doesn’t tell you everything you’re not seeing. You, as an audience member, can fill that in for yourself.”
