Brian Cox says that the development of the succession occurred very early in the series

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By Stephen McIntosh, entertainment reporter

2 hours ago

Warning: This article discusses a major plot spoiler from the third episode of Succession’s fourth season.

Image source, Getty Images

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Cox praised writer Jesse Armstrong as a “genius”, although he believed his character was killed off too soon

Succession star Brian Cox said he believes his character Logan Roy was killed off “too early” in the latest series of the hit HBO drama.

The Dundee-born actor praised writer Jesse Armstrong, however, for “brilliantly” executing the plot line.

The fourth and final series of the Emmy Award-winning show saw media mogul Cox killed in the third episode.

“I mean, he made him die in the third episode,” Cox continued. “It was quite a spectacle. That’s why I didn’t watch it, because I’m not interested in watching. My death will come soon enough.”

“But I just thought, ‘Wow,’ you know, he did it brilliantly. It was an amazing scene, the whole business.”

Asked if he would consider suggesting to Armstrong that Logan be killed too soon, Cox said, “No, I haven’t. There’s no point in going that route, especially with someone like Jesse, because he’s already made a plan.”

Logan Roy’s death in the first part of the current season was unexpected, casting doubt on the future of his media and entertainment company Waystar Royco and creating a new dynamic among his power-hungry children.

Cox recalled how “the internet went crazy” when his character died after suffering a heart attack on a private jet.

There was no warning to the legions of loyal Succession viewers that Roy’s death was imminent. It was dealt with without fanfare, as his children were taken aback and denied the opportunity to say any kind of emotional farewell to their father in person.

“It was a weird feeling,” said Cox of his character’s death. “I looked at it, wrongly, as a form of rejection. I was okay with the end, but I felt a little rejected. I felt a little like, ‘Oh, all the work I’ve done.'” And finally, “I’m going to end up like a New Yorker on a flying carpet.”

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Three of Logan Roy’s children – played by Jeremy Strong, Sarah Snook and Kieran Culkin – vie for a position in their father’s company.

Perhaps the most iconic TV drama of the past decade, Succession follows Logan Roy and his four children – three of whom are vying to be CEO of his hugely successful company.

These kids – played by Jeremy Strong, Sarah Snook and Kieran Culkin – are seen constantly jockeying for position and trying to win over their father.

Roy’s eldest son (played by Alan Ruck) has ambitions of his own, and this season he campaigned to become President of the United States.

The show’s blistering, brisk dialogue—a trademark of Armstrong’s—often sees the characters deliver some brutal insults to each other.

Many have drawn parallels between the Roy family and the real-life Murdoch family, but Armstrong has maintained that the series is fictional and is not intended as a representation of them.

Cox’s co-star J. Smith-Cameron, who plays Jerry, told BBC Americast that she felt the succession could continue after Logan Roy’s death.

“Those of us who haven’t played Roys still feel very complete stories… You could have several more seasons around the world of succession,” she said. “But I think from Jesse’s point of view, he was literally trying to address the issue of succession in that family.”

Image source, Getty Images

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Three of Roy’s children vie for his company, while the fourth (played by Alan Ruck, second left) wants to be President of the United States.

Cox said viewers told him they were less keen on continuing the show after his character’s death.

“They said, ‘No, I’m not watching anymore. I’m gone, I’m not watching,'” Cox said. “Which I think is unfortunate and unnecessary because the show is about succession. So you have to see what happens in the aftermath of his death. But, you know, I’m not the writer.”

Cox joked that he was surprised by key information about the plot while it was being filmed, because, he said, “I’ve never been able to keep a secret in my life.”

“I actually had a very close friend of mine once who wanted to trust me, and I said, ‘Don’t.’ I said, never trust me because I’m going to tell everyone.

“And it was audacious of Jesse. And that’s where Jesse is cool. I mean, he’s a genius. There’s no doubt that he’s a writing genius.”

Smith-Cameron added, “We were all sworn to secrecy, and we were all like, ‘Will there be a show without Brian Cox?'” Because he kind of drives everything and pulls all the characters in so much. And yet I feel like it was really filling and suspenseful.”

Brian Cox: The Amol Rajan interviews are broadcast on BBC Two on Thursdays at 19:00 BST and on BBC iPlayer.

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