“Oh no, I can’t play him”: Kieran Culkin Nearly Turned Down ‘Succession’ After Being Offered The WRONG Role

Kieran Culkin reveals he almost turned down Succession after being offered the role of cousin Greg, but later found his perfect fit as Roman Roy.

Though Kieran Culkin’s career started decades ago through a supporting role in the Home Alone Christmas comedy film series and he has played numerous characters since then, no role has earned him as much fame and acclamation as Succession. In fact, his performance as Roman Roy even left behind the commendation he received for his breakthrough role in Igby Goes Down, which earned him his first Golden Globe nomination.

However, truth be told, Culkin almost turned down the script for the masterpiece Emmy-winning show when he was originally offered it. And he did so because he felt he wasn’t fitting for the role. But there’s a plot twist here: Culkin was initially offered a different role, and he didn’t take on the show until he came across Roman’s character.

Kieran Culkin originally nearly turned down Succession

While Kieran Culkin‘s performance in Succession has been deemed nothing short of brilliantly outstanding by fans and critics worldwide, the truth is that he was originally offered a different role in the show instead of the lead Roman Roy, whom he brought to life ever so perfectly. As he confessed, the script was initially “sent to me to read for Greg, cousin Greg.”

But, of course, reading for the offered character – the gawky Gregory John “Greg” Hirsch aka the grandson of Ewan Roy and great-nephew of Logan Roy, who has a misshapen body and is far removed from the Roy family’s wealth – didn’t really sit well with him. During a recent interview with Vulture, the actor confessed about his reaction to being offered the same, saying:

In my career, I have never quite figured out what it is that I like about something. This was sent to me, actually, to read for another character. I was like, “Oh no, I can’t play him, this isn’t for me.”

In fact, Culkin even went on to say how he “read his first line of dialogue and I was like, ‘Oh, I think they made a mistake. This isn’t somebody I can play.’”

Those who are familiar with the Home Alone star’s past works know just what kind of energy he brings to the table – something like what he pulled in A Real Pain. Thus, it was only understandable that he almost turned down the show once and for all when offered to read for Greg (the role that later went on to Nicholas Braun). But then Roman caught his eye, and everything changed.

How Roman Roy caught Kieran Culkin’s attention

As he continued to share, even though he realized he wasn’t fit to bring cousin Greg to life, Kieran Culkin didn’t stop reading the script. Instead, he went deeper into the story for Succession – which he found to be really interesting – until the character of the snarky and scrappy youngest son and third-eldest child of Logan Roy popped up in front of him. Culkin confessed:

A few pages in, I thought, “Oh, this is really good writing, I may as well keep reading and see if there is anything else in here.” I saw the character Roman pop up and I was like, “Oh, this guy!” I just found myself reading and rereading his stuff.

That’s not all. After finding himself to be genuinely interested in the role, Culkin decided to go for it. And, of course, it all turned out in his favor, as he not only got cast as Roman Roy but also performed so epically as him that he earned numerous nominations and wins for the same, including 3 Golden Globe and 2 Primetime Emmy nods for Best Supporting Actor, and one win each for Best Actor for the same.