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Cape Town - Season 2 of Succession, currently #3 on Rotten Tomatoes’ list of the Best TV Shows of 2019 So Far and #7 on IMDB’s list of the Most Popular TV Shows, is now streaming first on Showmax in South Africa.
The bitingly funny HBO drama follows the dysfunctional Roy family, who control one of the biggest media and entertainment conglomerates in the world. With patriarch Logan Roy ageing and ailing, his four adult children jockeyed for position throughout Season 1 but as Season 2 picks up, the Roys are struggling to retain control of their empire in a rapidly changing media landscape…
Earlier this year, the HBO drama won Best International Series at the BAFTAs and TV Program of the Year at the American Film Institute, on the way to winning Emmys for Jesse Armstrong’s screenwriting and Nicholas Britell’s main title theme music.
Kieran Culkin (Igby Goes Down, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, and yes, Home Alone) was nominated for the Golden Globe as Logan’s youngest son Roman Roy; Matthew Macfadyen (aka Mr Darcy in Pride & Prejudice) was up for a Critics Choice Award as his brother-in-law-to-be Tom.
The impressive cast includes Golden Globe nominee Brian Cox (Adaptation, X-Men 2, Deadwood) as Logan, Screen Actors Guild nominee Jeremy Strong (The Big Short) as Kendall, and multi-award winners like Hiam Abbas (Ramy, Blade Runner 2049) and Sarah Snook (The Dressmaker), not to mention Nicholas Braun (10 Things I Hate About You, Perks Of Being a Wallflower) as the scene-stealing Cousin Greg and Oscar winner Holly Hunter, who joins the cast in Season 2 as Rhea Jarrell, the CEO of a rival media giant.
We recently caught up with Kieran to find out more:
How would you describe Roman?
Early on, the one character choice I made was that Roman’s the kind of guy who walks into any room and feels comfortable in it. He’ll make himself comfortable even if he’s being made to feel otherwise.
Is Roman the funniest character?
There’s an underlying comedy to most of the show. He might get more jokey things because he’s the kind of guy who will just say what comes to his mind, no matter how repulsive or offensive it might be. Most of the time he starts his sentences without having any idea where it’s going to go.
Is Roman ambitious?
He is. He’s driven to a certain degree, and really wants that job – but he doesn’t know what the job is! He doesn’t even know how to learn how to do that job. He thinks he can blag it. ‘If you give me the job, trust me, it’s going to be great.’ He’s lived his whole life like that. To a certain degree, I think that’s a good quality, to run a business this way. I mean, not really, it would be a disaster. But in a few years, after a few steps, I think he could. As he says in the first season, ‘I’m dumb but I’m smart. I know there are problems, but I don’t know how to fix it – but somebody can fix it.’
How does Roman evolve in Season 2?
What I’ve learned about him, and he’s learned about himself a little bit, is how actually resilient he is. People think he’s kind of a dum-dum. Maybe he doesn’t quite know all the stuff. But he can take a beating, take a good lashing and just bounce right back and he’s fine… without it having to be a great big drama. ‘Nothing’s too serious, nothing really matters, nothing really has consequences – so, fuck it, I’m just going to keep going!’ Which is a lot of fun to play.
Why is Succession such a success?
It really all starts with the writers, what they come up with and their brilliant dialogue. Jesse [Armstrong, the creator] has a really good bullshit-ometer: it’s really sensitive and really on-point. He can’t help but be funny, but it must make sense – be a real thing that they would say. Sometimes we’ll do things in rehearsals that are funny, but he says, no, that’s not what would happen. He’s got the right sensibility.
The socio, cultural and political resonances help?
It sure can. There is something about this that feels right for now...
Binge Seasons 1-2 first on Showmax in South Africa.
