Brian Cox and Jeremy Strong play an ever-at-odds father and son on Succession, and Strong’s commitment to going full method as sadboy/babygirl king Kendall Roy is now the stuff of internet legend — as is Cox’s disdain for Strong’s overwrought approach. When Cox appeared on The Late Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to promote the show’s fourth and final season, Fallon offered him the chance to walk some of those comments back.
“Well, you know, Jimmy, I’ve been a little harsh,” the actor said, in a reflective, earnest tone familiar to anyone who’s watched Logan Roy pretend to give one of his children something they desperately want. “And I’m sorry about that. In fact, I’ve been trying to set the record straight, in a MasterClass series on acting that I’ve just been doing.”
Of course, he’d brought a clip. It starts at around five minutes into the above video, but in case you don’t have time, here’s Tip #1: “Just fucking do it! Act! Say the fucking lines and don’t bump into the fucking furniture!”
And scene.
On the end of HBO’s hit poor-little-rich-folks dramedy, Cox was anything but sentimental.
“I love endings. I love getting the fuck finished with it — excuse my language,” he added in an aside to Fallon, an apology offered after easily half a dozen bleeped-out moments. (“I don’t know what we can leave in, honestly,” the host joked.)
Cox blamed his Succession character for the constant cursing, calling it “the Logan Roy disease”. Brian, you’re a very, very good actor, but we all know you’re just Scottish.
Succession season 4 premieres on HBO this Sunday.
