This New Yorker article calls for a game of good tweet/bad tweet.
Writer Michael Schulman profiled Succession star Jeremy Strong for the New Yorker ahead of the season three finale. In the lengthy and detailed article, Schulman reveals the actor's dedication to playing Kendall Roy, including sustaining injuries for the role—he impacted his tibia and femur in one scene and fractured his foot in another—and how his co-stars view him.
One quote that has drawn a lot of attention comes from Kieran Culkin, who said, "After the first season, he said something to me like, 'I'm worried that people might think that the show is a comedy.' And I said, 'I think the show is a comedy.' He thought I was kidding."
Other cast and crew members discussed Strong's intense nature during filming, with Brian Cox expressing concern, especially considering Jeremy has injured himself twice on set. "The result that Jeremy gets is always pretty tremendous," Cox said. "I just worry about what he does to himself. I worry about the crises he puts himself through in order to prepare."
Culkin added that Strong's process "might be something that helps him," but said of their scenes together, "I can tell you that it doesn't help me."
Even Strong acknowledged that he might come across as "difficult" to his co-stars, though he said, "Sometimes there must even be room for necessary roughness."
The article was well-received among fans of Succession, but Strong's Zero Dark Thirty co-star, Jessica Chastain, was more critical of the piece. She tweeted on Tuesday, Dec. 7, "Ive known Jeremy Strong for 20yrs & worked with him on 2 films. Hes a lovely person. Very inspiring & passionate about his work. The profile that came out on him was incredibly one sided. Don't believe everything you read folks."
She added, "Snark sells but maybe its time we move beyond it."
Chastain's tweet sparked a debate among many, with Variety's Editor-at-Large Kate Aurthur responding, "Wait, what? It was an incredibly nuanced portrait of him. I'm sure you won't see the responses to your tweet—and I'm jealous that you probably never do!—but calling it 'snark' seems like a real misread."
Other social media users remarked that the profile shines a light on why Strong has won an Emmy for portraying Kendall. As one person put it, "Reading the Jeremy Strong profile and nodding. All of this tracks for me as to why Kendall is so good. It'd be so easy to play him funnier, but Kendall as Dostoevsky character amongst everyone else is part of what makes the show click together. successful actor brain at work here."
None of the cast members have publicly commented on the profile.
E! News reached out to Strong's reps for comment.
Succession is streaming now on HBO Max.