Jeremy Strong Left ‘Succession’ Co-Star Brian Cox Deeply Worried Over 1 Dangerous Habit

Jeremy Strong is widely known for his work as Kendall Roy in HBO’s critically acclaimed show Succession, in which he starred alongside Brian Cox, Sarah Snook, Kieran Culkin, and more. Strong was highly praised for his work on the show and is regarded as one of the fan-favorite characters. The actor has starred in projects including The Gentlemen, The Trial of the Chicago 7, The Big Short, Detroit, and more.

Strong recently earned rave reviews for his work in The Apprentice, in which he starred alongside Sebastian Stan, who played young Donald Trump.  He is famously known for undergoing intense method acting to portray his character right on-screen, and his method has been discussed widely, especially amongst his co-stars.

Jeremy Strong’s Succession co-star Brian Cox has a fatherly concern for him

There is no surprise that Jeremy Strong is one of the most talented actors in the industry as of now, and his work speaks for itself. He recently appeared as Roy Cohn in Sebastian Stan starrer The Apprentice and has been praised critically. Strong’s work as Kendall Roy in HBO’s Succession is going to be written in books for aspiring actors to understand and learn how an actor immerses himself into playing a character like Kendall Roy.

However, Strong’s method of preparing and feeling like the character is very intense, and he shared this in his famous The New Yorker profile. His Succession co-star Brian Cox, who played his father, Logan Roy, in the show, also got worried about his method of acting. In speaking to the publication, the actor said,

The result that Jeremy gets is always pretty tremendous. I just worry about what he does to himself. I worry about the crises he puts himself through in order to prepare.

Cox continued that he has worked with intense actors before, adding that actors are funny creatures. He noted that the inability to separate oneself while they are doing a job is funny and concerning at the same time. Strong’s other co-star, Kieran Culkin, who played his younger brother Roman Roy in the show, has a very different approach to playing his character. He shared,

The way Jeremy put it to me is that, like, you get in the ring, you do the scene, and at the end, each actor goes to his or her corner. I am like, this is not a battle. This is a dance.

Culkin, when asked about Strong’s decision to isolate himself to prepare, said that it might be something that helps him. Cox once again, in his interview with The Guardian, had clarified that Jeremy Strong is a wonderful actor to work with, but he’d be even better if he could get rid of his ‘intense method acting.’

Cox mentioned that such intense acting practice only creates hostility and is not good for the ensemble. Despite being concerned over his practice of method acting, Cox never discussed it with Strong, stating that it’s a very emotive subject.

Jeremy Strong clarifies his stance on his ‘intense method acting’

When Jeremy Strong’s The New Yorker profile was published, a lot of people raised concerns and poked fun at his method acting, but the actor has no regrets. In his interview with Deadline, he mentioned that he feels inspired by Ben Kingsley in Gandhi, Phil Hoffman in Capote, and Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln.

The actor explained that his approach, especially with real people, is basically to absorb and learn everything about them. He shared,

Lately, people have felt a need to take shots at me or say disparaging things, which I don’t really think there’s any need for. The way I approach things is my process. I feel we’re storytellers. I think about those performances I just mentioned. Those are actors telling a story through character, which to me is the highest bar.

Jeremy Strong is not at all apologetic with his work and how he decides to immerse himself in it, noting that creating a character is like a holy grail for him. He mentioned that’s the kind of acting that he loves, which may require a devil-may-care attitude towards it.

The actor mentioned further that it’s anti-art and not worthy of the dignity of what they’re trying to do. He lastly added that the only method he has is to clear away anything that is not the character and the circumstances of the scene. Clearly the way he works could be intense, but it works for him and the makers of the project.

Succession is streaming on HBO.