The Smartest ‘Succession’ Villain Hated TV Shows Before Brian Cox Led Masterpiece Changed Her Mind: ‘I was almost anti-television’

Succession’s Hiam Abbass revealed how before playing Marcia to Brian Cox’s Logan Roy she was against TV shows and was happy in films.

The HBO drama Succession followed the corporate wars between Brian Cox’s Logan Roy and his three children, who struggled to gain control of their media conglomerate company Waystar RoyCo. The series was widely regarded for its performances, and writing, and also won the Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy for Best Drama Series.

While Cox’s character faced many obstacles in his bid to save his empire, no one was as dangerous as Marcia Roy, his third wife played by Hiam Abbass. The Palestinian actress had been in multiple films such as Blade Runner 2049 and Munich before she joined the series. Abbass mentioned that she was against TV shows before joining Succession.

Succession’s Hiam Abbass Hated TV Before Joining The Show

In the four seasons of Succession, Brian Cox’s Logan Roy has faced several obstacles including his children, brother, son-in-law, and his own trusted advisors. However, he stood strong with his ideology and even till death, Logan Roy did not give up on his fight to save the empire he built, no matter how cruel those means of saving were.

However, his biggest obstacle was his third wife Marcia Roy, played by Hiam Abbass. Debuting in the pilot episode, Marcia was introduced as a new member of the family, whom the children did not know too well and did not trust as much. While she was sparingly seen in the show, whenever she did appear, she came with enough guns to shift the hierarchy.

Abbass reportedly did not do much TV before Succession and was actually against the format before joining the three-time Emmy-winning series. She said in an interview with Hindustan Times,

Before Succession, I was almost anti-television…I just loved cinema and the work of the actor on stage, like the engagement with movies where you know the beginning and the end. The TV series was a new experience for me, where you just like, ‘Go’, and you don’t know where you’re going. So it was an interesting process to learn.

The actress, who was nominated for an Outstanding Guest Role in a Drama Series Emmy, mentioned that she grew to enjoy the process and loved the cast. Since then, Abbass has also appeared in Ramy and The Old Man.

Why Was Marcia The Perfect Partner And Anatagonist For Logan Roy?

Brian Cox absolutely nailed it as the no-nonsense, conniving, and ruthless CEO of Waystar RoyCo Logan Roy. The show Succession, as the title suggests, follows the war of succession between Logan Roy’s children as they try to gain control over his multi-billion dollar empire. While Cox was the big bad in the show, only Hiam Abbass’ Marcia showed him up.

Marcia is seen as an outsider by the children but she seems to be the person completely in control of the house since the first season. In an episode, Logan Roy even begs her to come back into his life. When asked how Marcia holds such power, Hiam Abbass told HBO,

Logan and Marcia are self-made. They have that in common. There’s a love and respect among themselves in part because of that. Meanwhile, the kids aren’t because they were born into so much wealth and power. It put them on the wrong track.

Marcia is last seen at Logan Roy’s funeral in the final season and even seems to have the last laugh after receiving the New York home.