“It F–ked Me Up”: Succession’s Jeremy Strong Reflects On Portraying Kendall Roy One Year After Show’s End
Succession actor Jeremy Strong reflects on his role in the popular HBO series. Strong played Kendall Roy in the acclaimed series, a character who is one of the four Roy siblings that also includes Shiv, Connor, and Roman. The actor’s work on the TV series was well-regarded, and the actor won an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2020. In addition to Strong, Succession’s cast also included Nicholas Braun, Brian Cox, Kieran Culkin, Matthew Macfadyen, Alan Ruck, and Sarah Snook.
Speaking with The Times, Strong reflects on his time working on Succession. The actor notes that playing Kendall “f***ed [him] up.” At the same time, Strong does miss aspects of the show, calling it “in incalculable gift. At the same time, he feels that “Kendall’s struggle was difficult to carry for seven years” and he is ready to move on to other projects. Asked about what his feelings mean for a Kendall Roy Succession spinoff, Strong said that Succession is “not something [he has] any wish to do any longer.” Check out the full quote from Strong below:
It f***ed me up.
I’ve rediscovered play. I sometimes lost touch with joy.
Listen. That show was an incalculable gift. The material a banquet. So I miss that. But Kendall’s struggle was difficult to carry for seven years. And there’s just so much more I want to do. [A Kendall spinoff is] not something I have any wish to do any longer. I’m aware it is one of the main chapters of my life, but I don’t miss it.
What This Means For Kendall’s Succession Future
Part of why Succession may have been so taxing for Strong is due to his use of Method Acting in the series. Costars Macfadyen and Cox have previously spoken about Strong’s use of the controversial, intense acting mode, with some of them defending the actor’s choices. Based on the Emmy nominations, Strong’s means of acting clearly have results, but fully immersing himself into Kendall likely made playing the character even more exhausting than it otherwise would have.
In addition to providing insight into his experience playing Kendall, Strong’s statement definitively rules out any hope of Kendall coming back for a Succession spinoff. Since Succession ended, there have been ideas floating for several spinoffs, including series involving Cousin Greg and those involving Kendall. The non-Kendall Succession spinoffs are still possible, but with Strong uninterested in appearing in more Succession content, it is unlikely that Kendall will appear in anything again.
Our Take On Future Succession Spinoffs
On the one hand, I would be disheartened to see a Succession spinoff in the absence of Kendall. As an addiction-rattled, deeply flawed character, Kendall is the heart and soul of Succession. That said, Cousin Greg has always made for a great source of comic relief and pathos in Succession, and it would be interesting to see him step into a lead role for a spinoff. So, Kendall’s presence will be missed in any potential Succession spinoff, but this hypothetical show’s success does not hinge on Strong.
