“None of the siblings are in a particularly good place at the end.”
Last month, Succession aired its final episode, bringing the story of who would take over the Waystar Royco leadership to a close. However, one of the main actors from the show has a pretty certain idea about what happened to his character after the credits began rolling. During a recent interview with Variety, Kieran Culkin talked about what could happen to Roman Roy after he loses control of his father’s company. The actor played the character ever since the series premiered back in 2018, taking four seasons to tell the complicated emotional journey of Roman. Here’s what Culkin said regarding the future of his character:
None of the siblings are in a particularly good place at the end. I’ve heard that interpretation, and I think that’s interesting. A lot of people just go, “Well, he’s got tons of money — he’ll be fine!” Which just isn’t really the case for these people. I don’t think it’s as simple as, “Well, I guess I’ve got my riches and my martini, I’m fine.” I don’t think he’s OK. No.
I remember on that day, Jesse (Armstrong) said “Roman has gone back to where he was at the beginning. What’s really sad about that was all of this was for nothing. It’s been a waste of his time. Like, what’s the point? What did he learn? What did he gain?”
Which is a cool interpretation, and that’s his, so that seems to be the one that’s right.
I think he not only just genuinely loves his family, I think he needs them. Now that it’s done, and he’s out, and they’re all out: When is he going to see them again? Who does he have? He has fucking nobody. That’s it. And siblings are out there, somewhere. And it’s not like we’re gonna get together for a beer. He’s very much alone. Have you ever seen Roman with a friend?
While this might sound like a sad future for Roman, it makes sense considering the nature of the relationship he had with his siblings, Kendall (Jeremy Strong) and Shiv (Sarah Snook). Logan Roy’s (Brian Cox) kids could never get along properly, as they were always looking to gain power for themselves. The sudden death of their father seemed like it might’ve changed their perspective on life but, when it came to making important decisions, they went back to their childish behavior, even getting into a physical altercation inside the Waystar Royco building. The tragedy of Succession resides in these people having extreme wealth, while they lack affection and emotional stability.
Another important relationship Roman had was the one he shared with Gerri (J. Smith-Cameron), one of Logan’s most trusted executives. The inappropriate bond the pair shared was established early on in the series, when they sneaked around meetings and corporate retreats to display their affection. Eventually, their secret would come to light when Roman accidentally sent an intimate picture to his father, when he actually meant to send it to Gerri. The incident happened during a meeting where the Waystar Royco board was discussing the hostile acquisition from Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård).
Who is the New CEO of Waystar Royco?
The fact that Roman lost the right to run his father’s company alongside his brother came as an unexpected turn of events, when Shiv was the only vote standing between them and the Chief Executive Officer position. When Shiv remembered that Kendall killed a young man during the first season of the show, she immediately refused to give him control of the company, voting in favor of Matsson’s acquisition. This would effectively give power to the executive, who allowed Tom (Matthew Macfadyen) to become the new CEO of Waystar Royco.
