Editor’s note: The following contains some spoilers for Succession Season 3, Episode 4, “Lion in the Meadow.”
On the HBO drama series Succession, now in its third season and already picked up for a fourth, the Roy family is used to getting what they want and admittedly doesn’t get embarrassed about what they have to do to get it. Because of that, a character like Josh Aaronson (expertly played by guest actor Adrien Brody), a major investor in their media and entertainment company Waystar, who can push and manipulate Logan (Brian Cox) and Kendall (Jeremy Strong) and make the jump through hoops in a way that no one else can, so fun to watch.
During this 1-on-1 interview with Collider, Academy Award winner Brody talked about how elated he was to play on a show that he was already such a fan of, how he came to guest on the series, how collaborative the process of developing the character was, the fun in getting to knock the Roy family off-kilter a bit, and just how calculated his character was, throughout his entire interaction with Logan and Kendall.
Collider: Over the last couple of years, I’ve asked a bunch of different actors which TV show they’d want to guest star on, if they got the opportunity . . .
ADRIEN BRODY: And they all said Succession?
Probably 99% of them did, yes.
BRODY: So sorry to interrupt you, but I had an interview and they asked me, “What show would you love to be on?” And I said, “Well, I just got that opportunity,” because it was recently after I had done it. I said, “I love Succession and actually, miraculously, they came to me with the chance to come and play, and I was elated.”
You’re not an actor who typically does a guest episode of a TV show, so why Succession? Was it the fact that you’re a fan of the show?
BRODY: Yeah, and it’s so well-written. It’s just so smart and fitting of the world around us, and dark and funny, and you name it. The acting is superb and I’m riveted by the show. It’s just great work, all around. It came to me in such a lovely way because Adam McKay had invited me to come and be a part of his Lakers show and, as we were preparing for me to go do that, they said, “Hey, we have a role in Succession that you’d be really great for, if you’d like to come join us.” And I was like, “Are you kidding me?! Let’s do it.”
How much of this character were you actually told about? Did you know exactly who he would be when you said, “Yes, I’ll come do it,” or was that information you got later on?
BRODY: They pitched me the character, and then they sent me the script and we talked a lot about it. Jesse Armstrong and all of the writers were really wonderfully collaborative. It was very strong. It was a really fun bit. I had some influences that I felt could bring something to it, and we spoke about it and we pushed for a little bit more bite, here and there. It was a bit more definitive, which felt a bit more true to the kind of character I thought I could best portray for Josh. We aligned and they were really wonderful. They made something special for me. But I had said yes, going into it. It wasn’t a condition. I was game to come do it, and we found it and they wrote something wonderful.
I didn’t know what to expect with this guy because it’s not easy to go up against the Roy family. I love that he’s the only person that’s really knocked them off-kilter a little bit.
BRODY: Yeah, I love that too. First of all, Josh is making them face each other, after all of this time. And then, he just manages to push all of the right buttons to reveal where things really stand. They’ve been putting on this act for so long and he’s not buying it. I love the way that unfolds. I love that it’s such a calculated and thought-through journey for Josh to take them on and to watch. You witness a son fail his father, and whatever issues that are there, he brings out into the open.
This is definitely a cast of really top-notch actors and they’ve spent two seasons learning and establishing their characters and finding the rhythms with each other, before you showed up. Is it just exciting and exhilarating to walk into that, or do you ever get nervous?
BRODY: I’ve been doing this for a lifetime. It’s not that I don’t get nervous or that I don’t have stress related to achieving a level of work that I aspire to achieve. I have a practical approach and a preparedness, a lot of experience and insight, and a lifetime on film sets, so I know how to problem-solve. I had the privilege of working with Brian [Cox]. When I was 26, we did a film together, called The Affair of the Necklace. He was wonderful in that and I remembered him well. We’re all doing what we love and are all dedicated to our work, and we joined forces and lifted each other up. That’s what happened there. If someone isn’t prepared to lift me up, I’ll try to lift them up anyway. That’s just how I approach the work. It was a blast. I think it’s exciting and exhilarating. I would have loved to have been with them for that two years, getting to figure out a character and dance with them and shoot this wonderful show in New York. That would have been amazing. But I’m also grateful to come in and play, and I can hold my own. They made me feel really welcome.
You talked about how long you’ve been doing this. What was the earliest experience you had on a set that was a really positive, really memorable experience for you, that you feel like you really learned from and that was a turning point for you, as an actor?
BRODY: When I was 13 or 14, I booked the lead role of a public television movie, which was one of the first major auditions that I had. My father had given me really great advice for that audition and he also sent me up there on my own. So, I went in there on my own while he waited for me in the car. I wasn’t a child actor waiting with my parent. I just was there. And he told me, “Go in there as if you already have the job. You’re just showing them how you do it, but you already have the job. You’re just gonna show them why you’re right for it.” And I think that approach really was very helpful, to have a sense of ownership of the work.
It’s your relationship to the work. You do your best and you do your work, and you don’t have to ask for it, you just have to show them. And then, if you’re right and they feel that you’re right, then you’re gonna be working together. But really, the purpose of that meeting and that audition is to see really what you’re made of and what that experience is gonna be like, and can you take direction and do you have interesting choices up your sleeve with what you’re bringing to the table? That’s really all it is. You go there prepared. There are all kinds of other reasons why you may or may not be right, and that has no bearing on how good you were in that audition. But if you go in there and you do a good job and you own it, you have a better chance of walking away with the role.
When it comes to Succession, it seems that people are either related to the Roys, or they’re just torn apart and discarded by them. And your character is a guy who comes in and can really use his leverage to make them jump through hoops in a way that makes them off balance and uncomfortable and is just fun to watch because we don’t get to see much of that with his family. What was it like to get to be that guy? How much fun is that, in the scenes? Do you have any room to play with that, in the moment?
BRODY: Oh, yeah. It was so fun. I haven’t seen the episode yet, but just the business with eating and talking, that wasn’t a scripted bit. We were just lucky that they had food on the table. I think Jeremy had said, “We should have something here on the table,” and they brought out all of these clams. It was a ridiculous thing and I could just be very brazen. I think that accentuates a sense of control and strength, in the moment, with these guys. Their lack of appetite says a lot about their position. All of these things play and reveal really fun stuff for the audience. It was really fun. I know the territory and I know what’s at stake. I love the complexity of the relationship between Kendall and Logan, and all of the nuanced work that they were doing on the day. I could just ratchet it up, and then watch what happened and how they interpreted the way I would say something. I’d do it differently and I’d look at Brian and be like, “Oh, yeah.” It was such a treat. It’s hard work, but I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed being a part of this. It really made me very happy. I hope it will be fun for people. I think it will be. It was a really rewarding bit, to come onto a show that you love and you know all of this drama that’s ensued, and you get to be this catalyst to upset the whole power balance. It’s great. And you’re right, people aren’t used to seeing Logan in a position of weakness, that’s for sure.
How much do you think everything Josh did was planned out and calculated and how much do you think it was just him reacting in the moment? Do you think he went into this with a whole plan of how this would all play out?
BRODY: I feel like Josh is very conscious, very aware, and has a distinct ability to sniff out weakness. He’s not necessarily using it to completely manipulate them and distort things and use it for his advantage. It’s not out of the question, but he does have a lot at stake. He’s put a lot of faith in this company and he’s put a lot of effort in it, and he’s very smart. He’s definitely planned for the whole adventure to unfold, but he does not know what the outcome will be. He may assume certain things, but he’s definitely testing Kendall, from the beginning. He’s witnessing his failings, in certain moments, to simply be protective of his father, and he’s witnessing blindness on Logan’s part, in self-preservation.
These are all determining factors in what next steps Josh has to take, to not only preserve his wealth, but to proceed. I think everything is calculated, from him going to put on hiking boots and layer up, to bringing two guys on an unexpected meeting that ends up traversing a hilly, wild terrain that clearly is gonna become challenging. Every step along the way, including the way he offers a cart for Logan, is calculated. All of that is there to prompt him along and see how this is gonna go, and then essentially to see how the two of them interact and if that completely implodes. He wants to see where things will go between father and son.
Well, I loved this episode. I loved you on this episode. I hope we get to see you come back, at some point before the show is done.
BRODY: Thank you. I really appreciate that. Thanks.
Succession airs on Sunday nights on HBO, and is available to stream at HBO Max.