Succession’s Brian Cox Jokingly Calls HBO the "Gestapo" For This Reason

Brian Cox, who stars as patriarch Logan Roy in HBO's Succession, joked he couldn't talk about the show's fourth season because of the streamer's "Gestapo-element."

By Charlotte Walsh Aug 26, 2022 4:19 PMTags
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Brian Cox may crack the whip as Waystar Royco CEO Logan Roy on HBO's Succession, but in real life, the actor is at the mercy of his bosses—just like everyone else.

"The Gestapo-element of HBO are present," he said during his Aug. 25 talk at the Edinburgh TV Festival, telling reporters not to ask about the future of the hit show"They don't want me to talk about Succession."

Even still, Cox managed to reveal a few behind-the-scenes details from the Emmy-winning show, sharing that the actors only get their scripts two days before shooting—though he wished he had more time to sit with them.

"Getting a script is like getting gold," he said. "I like to learn the lines."

Cox also said he pushed for his character to be Scottish, which Succession showrunner Jesse Armstrong initially resisted. So, it was a shock when he gave in and agreed that Logan is from Dundee, Cox's hometown. (Of the change, the actor said, "That is f--king writers for you.")

The Braveheart actor even remarked shared the lone similarity between himself and the Roy patriarch, saying that the two would share a "deep disappointment in the human experiment." However, he added that if the two met in real life, Logan would probably "hate" him and think, "I wish that Brian Cox would just shut the f--k up."

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Despite all of Logan's bravado, Cox pointed out his character's one weakness.

"His curse," he said, "is that he loves his children."

But that love may not seem evident when he's cursing at his four kids, Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Roman (Kieran Culkin), Shiv (Sarah Snook) and Connor (Alan Ruck). All the swearing—including the character's signature "f--k off"—has made its way into the actor's regular vernacular, Cox quipped during the same appearance.

Peter Kramer/HBO

And although Cox himself isn't supposed divulge any season four details, HBO itself has revealed a little bit about the highly-anticipated next chapter, saying it picks up right where season three left off: with the massive sale of Waystar Royco to tech visionary Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård).

"The prospect of this seismic sale provokes existential angst and familial division among the Roys," the network said, "as they anticipate what their lives will look like once the deal is completed."

All three seasons of Succession are now streaming on HBO Max. 

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