The Big Picture

• Matthew Macfadyen shines as a bumbling fool in Succession and Stonehouse, showcasing his comedic talents.
• Tom Wambsgans and John Stonehouse, played by Macfadyen, are both awkward, socially inept characters who constantly find themselves in uncomfortable situations.
• Macfadyen's physical comedy skills are on full display in both series, with his perfectly timed gestures and facial expressions adding to the humor.

British actor extraordinaire Matthew Macfadyen is known for many things. He’s beloved and forever remembered by many for his swoon-worthy performance as the posh, privileged, and perfect Mr. Darcy to Keira Knightley’s Elizabeth Bennet in the 2005 Oscar-nominated romance Pride & Prejudice, a project that helped establish him as a capable and commanding screen presence. From there, he went on to secure a BAFTA nomination for his performance in Rowan Joffe’s Secret Life, where he played a pedophile attempting to reform his life and overcome his urges. And in 2010, he wowed audiences with his arc in the series Criminal Justice, which won him the BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor. Okay, yes, clearly he is a pretty darn great dramatic actor. But in all seriousness, Macfadyen is at the top of his game when he is a bumbling fool. (Insert that bellowing laugh here.)

In 2018, the critically acclaimed HBO series Succession forcefully shoved the refined actor into a totally new environment (earning him an Emmy, in fact). The graduate of the highly-regarded Royal Academy of Dramatic Art is now a walking and breathing punchline in the role of Tom Wambsgans, a corrupt do-gooder and people pleaser who desperately wants someone to like him. Literally anyone. He’s a joke and total non-threat to the Roys, the wealthy media conglomerate family he eventually marries into, anxiously ping-ponging between his two awkward personas: subservient son-in-law to the intimidating and enigmatic Logan Roy (Brian Cox) and domineering faux Alpha male to the gangly and hesitant Cousin Greg Hirsch (Nicholas Braun).

Tom and Greg’s Toxic Bromance Allows Matthew Macfadyen to Showcase His Foolery

Tom is a complete laughingstock to everyone he interacts with, especially his wife, Shiv (Sarah Snook). His mere presence typically results in at least one eye roll from whomever has the pleasure of being in his company. Despite doing his best to assert his dominance (and existence), he almost always comes up short. There are a myriad of moments of Tom-Wambsgans-foolery to choose from, with some of the most painful cringe-inducing instances being in the pilot. His dueling personas are in overdrive as he goes from chuckling and gesturing his way through an uncomfortable gift-giving moment with the steely-eyed Logan to his harassment of poor Cousin Greg, who acts like a deer in headlights at every turn.

The seeds are planted for this predatory and overall confusing relationship when Tom “razzes” Greg before the softball game. One minute, Tom is assuring Greg that he will always be there for him, the next he’s inquiring, “Would you kiss me? If I asked you to?” before choking on his forced laughter. Or how about when he tearfully gets on one knee and attempts to propose to Shiv, who is a wreck about her father’s sudden decline in health? Read the room, Tom. Macfadyen nails this socially awkward, foot-in-mouth, character who craves a sense of purpose. He’s like a permanent benchwarmer who has his eyes set on the Hall of Fame, despite being told by so many people that he will never make the starting lineup.

He might walk down the halls of Waystar Royco with grace, but he’s actually really in his head about whether or not people are emailing about his breath behind his back. Some of Tom’s best worst moments emerge when the conversation or situation turns sexual. His bizarre bachelor party in an abandoned train station (thanks, Roman) is a chance for Tom to bond with “the guys,” but ends up backfiring horrifically when he puffs out his chest and details a sexual encounter he had moments earlier that leaves Greg more traumatized than impressed. And let’s not forget that highly-anticipated, very anti-climatic threesome in the Season 2 finale that Tom claimed to want. Watching him slowly backpedal while trying to maintain his manhood was like driving slowly toward a car wreck. “I’m sure I will [want to]...‘cause it’s so hot,” he stammers while clutching a hanger, “but there is a chance — just a health warning — there’s a chance that I might not be able to perform. I haven’t done a stadium gig before.” Of course, he caps it all off with a nervous Wambsgans laugh.

'Stonehouse' Lets Matthew Macfadyen Get Silly

Macfadyen brings these skills he's developed and sharpened at HBO over to BritBox in the series Stonehouse, where he plays the titular role of John Stonehouse, a disgraced politician who (very poorly) fakes his own death in an attempt to dissolve all of his woes in the 1970s. The three-episode dramedy explores the messy before and the even messier after of the Labour party politician’s attempt at starting over after getting way too in over his head. Believe it or not, Stonehouse makes Tom look like the smoothest operator around. (Yes, really.) Despite a premise that has melodrama written all over it, the series goes boldly in the opposite direction, poking fun at the bizarreness of the scandal and leaning into — and perhaps heightening — the silliness. Moments that could easily have been soaking in tension are instead dripping with humor. Even the score à la Home Alone gives the entire watch a precocious, mischievous vibe.

While Stonehouse’s foolishness kicks into overdrive once his cover is blown in Australia and his family discovers that he’s actually alive and just avoiding his problems, his wobbly demeanor is present immediately. Stonehouse is the most enthusiastic member of Parliament in the room, gesturing and flailing his papers and echoing the speaker with glee. This says a lot about the type of person he is, as Parliament sittings are known to get quite rambunctious. Macfadyen even manages to make Stonehouse buffoonish at the dinner table, when he is toasting with his wife and kids to his robust future. Which, of course, we know will soon be falling apart.

Both Succession and Stonehouse (as well as Quiz) prove that Macfadyen is an excellent physical comedian. Most interactions with Greg in Succession produce some form of physical comedy, especially when Tom is trying to assert himself. Tom’s desk flipping and water bottle hurling aren't meant to be funny, but Macfadyen manages to do it in such a way that it feels like you are watching a clown in a suit and tie. Similar to Tom, Stonehouse ends every awkward exchange with an even more awkward laugh, as he, too, is melting under pressure. How would Stonehouse handle Tom's Waystar cruise disaster?

Aloofness, twisty facial expressions, nervous glances over the shoulder, and ill-timed jokes permeate the tonally daring Stonehouse series, which lends itself to Macfadyen’s strengths. Whether it be the way he literally bangs into a cabinet when trying to discreetly hide documents from his wife, or the way he "pretends'' to get lost looking for the bathroom at an event when really he was sneaking around someone’s office, Stonehouse quickly establishes himself as the man you really can’t take seriously, no matter how hard he tries. Watching him attempt to defuse the tension during dinner with his mistress Sheila Buckley (Emer Heatley) and his wife Barbara Stonehouse (Keeley Hawes) feels like it is being pulled from an episode of Modern Family.

Matthew Macfadyen’s strategically ungraceful behavior transforms even a benign activity like eating popcorn, tasting freshly made soup (that, going off of his reaction, isn't appetizing), or giving someone a gift into an incredibly uncomfortable experience — in the absolute best way possible. He might be your Mr. Darcy, but there is nothing better than watching Macfadyen drop his dignity at the door and letting it hit him on the way out. Ha!

Succession is available to stream on Max in the U.S.

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