Kendall Roy does what he wants, sometimes to his own detriment. The actor who plays him may do the same.
After the now-infamous December New Yorker profile on Jeremy Strong—which detailed his intense acting methods and sparked polarizing reactions—the actor's Succession co-star Brian Cox on says that the whole article "was Jeremy's idea"
"He pushed for it...and people kept warning him about it," Cox said in an interview with Deadline. "In a sense, he got hoisted by it, and I think it was unfortunate."
He added, "I think he should never had gone down that road because playing [his Succession character] Kendall has put him in a very vulnerable position."
While Cox, 75, admits Strong's work on the show is brilliant, he also finds it exhausting.
"Particularly exhausting for him, but it's also exhausting for the rest of us from time to time," he said. "But we weather it because we love him and because the result is always extraordinary, what he does, but at the same time, there is the double-edged sword that goes with it."
Succession, which premiered on HBO in 2018, centers on the Roy family, the dysfunctional owners of a global media and entertainment conglomerate, who are fighting for control of the company. Cox plays Logan Roy, the family's patriarch, and Strong plays his son Kendall, the onetime heir apparent who struggles to prove his worth to his father while also coming out from his shadow.
"I mean, he creates the pain in the role he plays. That doesn't necessarily help, but he does. …" Cox continued. "There is a certain amount of pain at the root of Jeremy, and I just feel for that pain."
He added, "I think that he puts himself in vulnerable positions and with that New Yorker article, he placed himself in a very, very vulnerable position, and I think that he didn't need to do that."
Writer Michael Schulman's lengthy profile ahead of the season three finale included quotes and details about the 43-year-old actor's controversial dedication to his character and how it's led to real-life injuries; he impacted his tibia and femur in one scene, and fractured his foot in another.
Cox was originally quoted in the article saying that he worries about what the actor does to himself and the "crises he puts himself through in order to prepare."
While Strong's intense nature raised the eyebrows of many readers, a number of A-listers quickly came to the actor's defense, including his on-screen sister, Sarah Snook, writer Aaron Sorkin and his Serendipity co-star Anne Hathaway.
Jessica Chastain, who worked with Strong on Molly's Game and Zero Dark Thirty, was the first to voice her support for the "lovely" actor, calling the article "incredibly one sided" on Twitter.
"Ive known Jeremy Strong for 20yrs & worked with him on 2 films. Hes a lovely person," she wrote. "Very inspiring & passionate about his work."
She added, "The profile that came out on him was incredibly one sided. Don't believe everything you read folks. Snark sells but maybe its time we move beyond it."