Succession.Photo: HBO
HBO’s award-winning dramaSuccessionis returning for afourth and final season.
The series, which premiered in 2018, follows the Roy family as they prepare for the next phase of their media conglomerate, Waystar RoyCo, amid CEO and patriarch Logan’s declining health.
It features a star-studded cast, including actorsJeremy Strong,Kieran CulkinandBrian Cox, among others, who have all received critical acclaim and several awards for their performances on the show.
Culkin, who portrays the youngest son Roman Roy, has acknowledged that the Roy family is notparticularly likable.
“I’m not sure that they [viewers] like the characters, there’s something about them they just want to watch them and maybe watch them fail or something,” he said during an appearance onThe Tonight ShowwithJimmy Fallon. He added that he is grateful fans continue to tune in, whatever their reasons may be: “The fact that like people have been liking the show it actually feels really nice.”
Here’s everything to know about the cast ofSuccessionbefore season 4 premieres on March 26.
Brian Cox asLogan Roy
Graeme Hunter/HBO
Cox was well known for his theater and movie roles before playing the bullish family patriarch and CEO of Waystar RoyCo, Logan Roy.
He rose to fame for his portrayal of King Lear with the Royal National Theatre in London and the Royal Shakespeare Company. The Scottish actor now has more than 200 acting credits to his name.
Over the course of his career, he’s received a handful of awards for his work. In 2020, he wonhis first Golden Globe Awardfor his portrayal of the media tycoon onSuccession. He has also won an Emmy in 2001 for his supporting role on the showNurembergas well as two Oliviers for his stage work in the U.K.
While discussingSuccession’sseason 3 finaleonAndy Cohen’s SiriusXM show, Cox said: “I think the ending was great. I kind of knew it was going to end in that way. I didn’t know it was going to be quite — that I was going to, sort of, blast the family in the way I did. I thought it was going to be a bit more subtle than that, but it wasn’t, which is fine. It wasn’t subtle at all.”
Cox married his third wife, actressNicole Ansari, in 2002. The couple share sons Orson Jonathan and Torin Kamran.
Jeremy Strong as Kendall Roy
Macall B. Polay/HBO
Strong plays the second-oldest Roy son, Kendall, who was initially portrayed as the heir apparent to the company.
Prior to his role onSuccession, Strong studied English at Yale University, where he acted in a number of plays. He is known for his intensive acting process, which includes staying in his role as Kendall even after the cameras stop rolling, a dedication Cox toldTown & Countrywas “f—— annoying.”
“He’s a very good actor,” Cox told the outlet, noting that there’s a precarious line betweenknowing a characterand becoming him. Despite his concerns, Cox said, “Strong is talented. He’s f—— gifted. When you’ve got the gift, celebrate the gift.”
The hard work has certainly paid off. Strongwon an Emmyfor outstanding lead actor in a drama series in 2020 and aGolden Globefor best actor in a television drama series in 2022, among other nominations. BeforeSuccession, he appeared onThe Good Wife,Mob CityandMasters of Sex. His first film role was inHumboldt County, and he’s since starred in several movies, includingLincoln,Zero Dark ThirtyandThe Trial of the Chicago 7.
As for his personal life, Strong and his wife, Danish psychiatristEmma Wall, met in 2012 at a party in N.Y.C. during Hurricane Sandy and wed in Denmark in 2016. They share three daughters: Ingrid, Clara and Agathe.
Strong is also very good friends with actressMichelle Williams— hemoved in with Williamsand her daughter,Matilda Rose, for a brief period afterHeath Ledger, her former partner and Matilda’s father,died in 2008. In 2022, Williams toldVariety, “Jeremy was serious enough to hold the weight of a child’s broken heart and sensitive enough to understand how to approach her through play and games and silliness.”
Another famous actress that Strongis close with is Anne Hathaway. The actors have costarred on two movies together, 2019’sSerenityand 2022’sArmageddonTime, and their families often vacation together.
Kieran Culkin as Roman Roy
Culkin portrays Romulus “Roman” Roy, the second-youngest of the Roy kids, who is known for his inappropriate sense of humor and sarcasm.
At the 2022 Critics' Choice Awards, Culkinbeat out his costarsNicholas Braun and Matthew Macfadyen for best supporting actor in a drama series. He has also earned nominations for Emmy, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Awards for his performance.
“I’m gonna say thatSuccessionhas just been a dream. It’s like the dream job. I’ve been spoiled rotten,” Culkin said during his Critics' Choice Award acceptance speech. “Jesse Armstrong is kind of a genius. All the writers on our show are just the best at what they do I feel like. And they give me so much to work with. All of our actors are so fantastic to work with.”
The middle child of seven, Culkin comes from a show-business family that includes brothersMacaulayandRory. His paternal aunt is actressBonnie Bedelia, star ofParenthoodandDie Hard. Culkin’s first role was actually in his brother Macaulay’s iconic 1990 movieHome Alone.
Culkin wed U.K. nativeJazz Chartonin 2013, and the couple share two children,daughter Kinsey Siouxandson Wilder Wolf.
Sarah Snook as Siobhan “Shiv” Roy
Australian actressSarah Snookplays Siobhan “Shiv” Roy, the youngest of the Roy siblings. Shiv originally worked in politics but took a more active role in the family company as the show progressed, eventually vying for a top spot along with her siblings.
Successionserved as her big break, and she has since landed roles in films likePieces of a WomanandRun Rabbit Run. However, she almost turned down the part over concerns of sexism in the high-powered corporate world where the boardroom drama is set.
“If the world is going to be interested in a bunch of White dudes talking about business, and if I’m the only woman in that, then I’m likely to get sidelined and be like some sort of prop. I don’t feel like that personally, nor do I feel like I want to compete for that,” she toldVarietyin 2022. “Through blind faith, I thought, ‘Well, the creatives are interesting. You may be one of the only women in the pilot, but that doesn’t mean that you’re going to get sidelined necessarily and maybe this is an opportunity for you to just fight for female characters.’ "
Snook’s tenacity and talent helped her win best-supporting actress in a drama seriesat the 2020 Critics' Choice Awards. She won again in 2022 and also earned a Golden Globe, SAG Award and anEmmy nominationfor her work on the show.
TheGlass Castleactress quietly married comedianDave Lawsonat her home in Brooklyn in February 2021. They had been friends since 2014 but had “never been single at the same time.” She toldVogue Australia, “At the beginning of the [COVID-19] pandemic, I got locked down in Melbourne with one of my best mates and we fell in love.”
Alan Ruck as Connor Roy
Macall B. Polay/ HBO
Alan Ruckplays eldest son Connor Roy, who is Kendall, Roman and Shiv’s half-brother from Logan’s first marriage. Connor is not interested in the family business and is instead focused on his ranch and running for president. Subsequently, no one in the Roy family, including Logan, takes him seriously.
Ruck is best known forhis role as Cameron Frye, the best friend toMatthew Broderick’s eponymous character inFerris Bueller’s Day Off. He made his Broadway debut with Broderick inNeil Simon’sBiloxi Bluesin 1985 and has starred in several other movies, includingBad Boys,Speed,TwisterandSierra Burgess Is a Loser. On the small screen, he has had roles onGoing Places,Spin City,GreekandBunheads.
While filmingSpin Cityin 2001, Ruck nearly died of amysterious blood infection. On the podcastWTF withMarc Maron, the actor shared that he got blood poisoning and “was out for like nine days” in the hospital. His doctors thought he might need to be on dialysis for the rest of his life, but he has since fully recovered. “I’m lucky. I don’t know why,” he said. “To this day they don’t know how I got it.”
Ruck and his wife, actressMireille Enos,wed in 2008 and have two children together, daughterVesper Vivianneand sonLarkin Zouey. Ruck also has two adult children, daughter Emma and son Sam, from his previous marriage to Claudia Stefany.
Matthew Macfadyen as Tom Wambsgans
Matthew Macfadyenplays Tom Wambsgans, oft-overlooked and subservient husband of Shiv who is also an executive at Waystar RoyCo.
Successionviewers most likely recognize him from his role as Mr. Darcy in the 2005 adaptation ofPride & Prejudice. During a 2022 interview with NPR, the British actor compared his two iconic roles, noting: “Tom Wambsgans is a long way from Mr. Darcy.”
The actor is a two-time Emmy nominee, the second of which he won foroutstanding supporting actor in a drama seriesforSuccessionin 2022. During his acceptance speech, he said it was “a pleasure and a privilege to play this bonkers gift of a role.” He has also earned a BAFTA Awardand a SAG Award for his portrayal of Tom, as well as a BAFTA forCriminal Justicein 2010.
Macfadyen met his wife, actressKeeley Hawes, on the set ofSpooks. They began dating in 2002 and wed in November 2004. The pair share two children: daughter Maggie and sonRalph. Hawes also has a son, Myles, from her previous marriage toSpencer McCallum.
Nicholas Braun as Greg Hirsch
Nicholas Braunplays fan favorite Greg Hirsch, also known as “Cousin Greg,” a role that scored him his firstEmmy nominationin 2020 and a second in 2022.
He went on to appear in several Disney movies as a teenager, includingSky High,MinutemenandPrincess Protection Program. Braun’s television roles include10 Things I Hate About YouandThe Secret Life of the American Teenager. In recent years, he’s starred in the filmsHow to Be Single,The Year of Spectacular MenandZola, among others.
In 2021, Braun told theNew York Timesthat he incorporated parts of himself into his character Greg. “I pick a bunch of traits that are metrying too hardor feeling uncomfortable in a room, or wanting to speak up but I don’t quite get permission, so it comes out in a weird way,” he said. “Maybe I’m attracted to roles that feel therapeutic. I get to look at these parts of myself and ask, ‘Why do I do that? How do I amplify that in a fun way?’ "
Though he prefers to keep his private life under wraps, he told the outlet that he hadn’t yet been in a long-term relationship. “I do yearn for it and yet I’m incapable of it,” he said. “I go toward it and then I hit a wall where I’m like, I can’t go farther into this. I’ve got to exit.”
In addition to acting, Braun is also an investor and owns a fewbars and restaurantsin N.Y.C., including Jac’s on Bond and Ray’s — the latter of which he co-owns withJustin Theroux.
J. Smith-Cameron asGerri Kellman
J. Smith-Cameronplays Gerri Kellman, the company’s General Counsel who also has aflirtatious relationshipwith the much younger Roman.
Smith-Cameron spent much of her professional acting career on the stage after making her Broadway debut inCrimes of the Heartin 1982. She has since earned countless accolades for her work on Broadway in productions likeOur Country’s God,As Bees in Honey DrownandSarah, Sarah.
Her role inSuccessionearned her her first Emmy nomination in 2022.
Off the screen, Smith-Cameron has been married to writer and directorKenneth Lonergansince 2000 and they have one child, a daughter named Nellie.
Justine Lupe as Willa Ferreyra
Zach Dilgard/HBO
Justine Lupeturned herSuccessionguest spot as Willa Ferreyra, the much-younger playwright girlfriend of Connor Roy, into a mainstay part.
During a December 2021 interview withInsider, Lupe shared that Willa was only supposed to have a three-episode arc culminating in a breakup with Connor in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
“There was one — the Santa Fe script in particular — where they kept on doing rewrites over and over, and Willa kept on sticking around just a little bit longer,” Lupe said. “I was like, ‘Wait, am I not going to get thrown out? This is awesome.’ "
Having grown up in an artistic family, Lupe studied theater at the Denver School of the Arts and graduated from the Juilliard School in 2011.
Lupe keeps her personal life relatively private and has only posted a few photos onInstagram, the majority of which are aboutSuccession.
source: people.com
