Brian Cox, the actor behind Succession‘s patriarch, says he is glad the show is finishing up after four seasons, with the first episode of the final season airing on Sunday, March 26.
The Scottish actor, who plays patriarch Logan Roy, endorses the decision to wrap up the HBO hit series.
“In a good way, I’m happy it’s over,” he told Entertainment Tonight, adding that he will still miss the cast and crew.
Cox believes Succession has reached its natural closure, saying the series’ showrunner, Jesse Armstrong, wouldn’t let “anything go on further than it needs to”.
In his view, the final season concludes a “perfect” and “neat” show, unlike others that “outstay their welcome”.
Speaking on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Cox said he “felt it” in his bones that the show was coming to an close at the end of the fourth season.
“I thought it was a good thing. I don’t mind that, I love endings. I love getting [expletive] finished with it,” he told Fallon.
While Cox seemed to know the curtain was coming down, Sarah Snook, who plays his on-screen daughter, was blindsided.
She didn’t learn the news until sitting down for a final read of the script – and says she should have been informed at the start of the season.
Act, dear boy, just act
Cox is well known for his disapproval of Method acting, saying the process was “crap”.
On the Tonight Show, Cox doubled down on his past comments, with a pre-filmed skit titled ‘Brian Cox Teaches the Craft of Method Acting’.
His one and only tip shown in the ‘masterclass’: “Just f*****g do it,” Cox says in the clip.
“Act! Say the f*****g lines and don’t bump into the f*****g furniture”.
One of Cox’s own cast mates on Succession is known for using Method acting, which the 76-year-old has branded “annoying”.
Jeremy Strong, who plays Cox’s onscreen son, Kendall Roy, previously admitted he isolated himself from the rest of the cast to really get into the role.
In a 2021 article published in the New Yorker, Cox expressed concern for Strong’s approach to getting into character.
“I just worry about what he does to himself. I worry about the crises he puts himself through in order to prepare,” he said.
Strong would go on to say the New Yorker piece provoked a “moment of shame”, but is adamant he won’t be changing how he prepares for a role. Speaking to GQ, Strong says Cox has “earned the right to say whatever the f*** he wants”.
“There was no need to address that or do damage control,” Strong said.
“I feel a lot of love for my siblings and my father on the show. And it is like a family in the sense that – and I’m sure they would say this, too – you don’t always like the people that you love. I do always respect them.”
Succession‘s final season premieres tonight, March 26.
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