“It doesn’t create a better society”: Brian Cox’s ‘Succession’ Character Logan Roy Will Despise His Ruthless Take on Capitalism

Actor Brian Cox is regarded as one of the most skilled actors of his generation who is a classically trained Shakespearean actor and is recognized for his exceptional work on-stage and on-screen. Cox’s portrayal of Logan Roy in HBO’s Succession from 2018 to 2023 is one of his most memorable characters. Fans to date cannot stop talking about the patriarch of the Roy family.

Succession is recognized as one of the greatest television series of the 21st century and upon its premiere in 2018, it went on to receive a positive response from the audience and critics. Fans have always found the character of Logan Roy very interesting, and in a cover story, Brian Cox breaks it down for them.

Brian Cox talks about his character Logan Roy on Succession

Back in 2018, when the world was introduced to Logan Roy, co-founder and former CEO of Waystar Royco, in HBO’s Succession, everyone was stunned. He was volatile, bullish, and an egocentric self-made man perfectly portrayed by the very talented Brian Cox. The character took immense pleasure in manipulating the person who he viewed as his opponent, and that included his children as well.

The patriarch of the Roy family till the end of his time remained loyal to his conservative lifestyle, and despite health issues, he refused to admit his weakness or faults. The entire world had massive respect for Cox for pulling such a complex character out from 2018 to 2023. In a cover story for Rolling Stone, he was asked how he landed the role of Logan Roy, to which he said,

When they first talked to me, way back in 2016, they sold it to me as a one-off. That’s what my agents said, ‘Don’t worry, you’ll be dead after one season!’ I had a long conversation with Jesse Armstrong and Adam McKay, and at the end of an hour, I said, ‘So, it’s just the single season, yeah?’ And there was this endless pause.

Cox recalled that Armstrong and McKay said to him that they were hoping to make more than one season. The actor also mentioned that he just felt grateful that he had the opportunity to get a role like Logan Roy. He mentioned that the role of Logan Roy in Succession is sort of proof of the pudding, which states that he is in for the long haul.

Brian Cox shared that even though Logan Roy is not a particularly lovely character, he’s a fascinating man. The actor mentioned that his character is a man of great stature who has a sort of Lear-like, Shakespearean quality to him.

Further, he described Logan Roy as not quite what he seems, and yet he’s exactly what he seems. It’s a wonderful paradoxical role in that way.

Brian Cox touches upon the subject of power mechanics regarding Logan Roy

The actor was asked about the power mechanics in the country, to which he explained that he is an old socialist by nature, but Andrew Carnegie, who is a Scottish-American tragic figure, had a huge impact on him. Cox noted that Carnegie wanted to give his wealth away but got hoisted by his own petard. He mentioned to Rolling Stone,

To get wealth, you need to make wealth, and that usually means you’re making wealth on the backs of working people. I mean, capitalism. It doesn’t work. It doesn’t actually make people better. It doesn’t create a better society. It just creates opportunities and all the downsides that go with that.

Brian Cox continued that he doesn’t know if people who have watched the show have picked up on this or not, but Succession is a morality tale. He added that the show is ultimately about the morals of the time, asking if the morals of one’s time are highly corrupt.

The actor mentioned that Logan Roy created a world he lives in, but at the same time, that world had sort of destroyed his children. He pointed out that the world Roy created deprived his children of any moral compass because they saw that their father didn’t have a moral compass. It has also been said that Logan Roy did not feel that his children deserved any of the things he gave them because they did not build it, he did.

It is one of the reasons why Logan Roy was okaying handing over his things to a stranger rather than his own kids. Roy believed that none of them deserved it. However, after his demise, Kendall Roy took over the company.

Brian Cox added that the one thing he likes the most about Logan Roy is his mystery, noting that he doesn’t really understand him. Cox mentioned in his private life, his character does not have any sense of his real character outside of the boardroom, which is why his relationships with his wife get interesting and complicated in season two.

Succession is available to stream on HBO.