HBO’s Succession returns for its highly anticipated third season this October. The next installment sees the Roy clan split down party lines after the shocking Season 2 finale, in which Kendall (Jeremy Strong) took a defiant against his father Logan (Brian Cox). It’s not clear where the loyalty of Kendall’s siblings Roman (Kieran Culkin) and Shiv (Sarah Snook) lie, as Succession always has tricks up its sleeve, thanks to the show's love of shocking betrayals and alliances. The only thing that’s guaranteed is a series of crudely hilarious insults as the bickering family squabbles.

Succession features one of the strongest ensembles on television right now, though while the cast has grown synonymous with their Roy counterparts, they’ve also each had a prolific career in films as well. As hype for the next season grows, Succession fans will want to check out these terrific film performances from the principal cast.

Brian Cox, Manhunter

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Image via De Laurentiis Entertainment Group

Before Anthony Hopkins won an Academy Award for embodying Hannibal Lector in Silence of the Lambs and Mads Mikkelsen reinvented the role in Hannibal, Brian Cox was the first to capture the iconic psychiatrist turned serial killer. Cox has a brief, yet memorable role in Michael Mann’s adaptation of Manhunter, in which he’s questioned by FBI Agent Will Graham (William Peterson) for clues on the whereabouts of the equally fearsome killer “The Tooth Fairy” (Tom Noonan). While he doesn’t kill anyone on screen, Cox has a menacing aura as he hints at his desire for revenge on Graham, the man who incarcerated him. In comparison to the relentless bullying of Logan Roy, Cox is equally effective as a restrained antagonist.

Jeremy Strong, The Trial of the Chicago 7

Photo by Niko Tavernise/Netflix

There are many strong performances within Trial of the Chicago 7, but as with Succession, Jeremy Strong proved he can stand out amidst a stacked cast. One of the “Chicago Seven” arrested during the 1968 anti-Vietnam protests outside the Democratic National Convention, Jerry Rubin is pretty much perpetually stoned throughout the fraught court proceedings. But Strong adds surprising physical comedy throughout, particularly as he and his cohort Abbie Hoffman (Sacha Baron Cohen) mock the trial process by showing up in outrageous attire. It’s a far cry from Kendall’s self-serious anxiety, but Strong brings a lot of heart to Trial of the Chicago 7 too; Aaron Sorkin’s idealism may not work for everyone, but Strong makes a line like “if we leave without saying anything about why we came in the first place, it'll be heartbreaking” work regardless.

Kieran Culkin, Igby Goes Down

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Image via MGM

Among the most intriguing ongoing storylines in Succession is the gradual humbling of foul-mouthed Roman. While the youngest Roy sibling puts on a front of sardonic confidence, he’s hinted at deeper insecurities that stem from his father’s cruelty. Kieran Culkin had already mastered portraying adolescent anxieties early in his career with the underrated coming-of-age dramedy Igby Goes Down. Like Roman, Igby Slocumb is a wealthy child who despises his family, but the rebellious seventeen-year-old attempts to break out of that lifestyle by joining New York’s underground bohemian culture. Igby is rewarded and punished for his growing sincerity as he discovers the outside world; Culkin is tasked with the difficult challenge of making privilege feel like a prison.

Sarah Snook, Predestination

Shiv Roy is the embodiment of confidence, a ruthless tactician whose proven she doesn’t need her family name to find a successful career. Sarah Snook’s sensitive, shattered innocence in Predestination is the polar opposite. As a mysterious stranger introduced as John, Snook tells a shocking chronicle of space exploration and temporal travel to an unwitting bartender (Ethan Hawke) whilst revealing personal fears Shiv would never admit to. Predestination has a lot of complex sci-fi terminology ripe for in-depth analysis, but Snook provides an emotional hook as John shares experiences of discrimination and heartbreak. The layered twists of Predestination only reach their desired effect if there are stakes for the characters, and an empathetic Snook is a reason to care.

RELATED: Kieran Culkin on 'No Sudden Move', 'Succession' Season 3, and Looking Back on 'Scott Pilgrim vs. the World'

Hiam Abbass, Blade Runner 2049

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Image via Warner Bros.

Logan Roy’s spouse Marcia (Hiam Abbass) is perhaps Succession’s most chilling character, because the rest of the family can barely contain their emotions and will openly brag about their plans, Marcia keeps her motivations under wraps. Abbass had another enigmatic role in Blade Runner 2049 as the replicant rebel chief Freysa, who rescues Ryan Gosling’s Agent K in a critical moment. Despite sharing K’s goals of freeing replicants from enslavement, she intends to kill Deckard (Harrison Ford) in order to gain the upper hand in the conflict. K learns the dramatic truth that Deckard is not his father from the cold-hearted resistance leader, delivered in frank disconcertment by Abbass.

Matthew MacFayden, Pride & Prejudice

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Image via Universal Pictures

While Tom Wambsgans’s bumbling awkwardness is endearing, Matthew MacFayden can also be quite classically charming. Mr. Darcy is a classic Jane Austen heartthrob; troubled by a past he refuses to share, MacFayden incrementally sheds his coldness as he pines for Elizabeth Bennet (Keira Knightley). MacFayden is so good playing restrained yearning that Pride & Prejudice avoids becoming too sappy. It's hard to imagine Tom having Darcy’s graceful dance floor moves.

Alan Ruck, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

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Image via Paramount Pictures

Connor may be Succession’s most oblivious clown, but Alan Ruck is best known for playing Matthew Broderick’s hyper-observant sidekick in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Connor is generally pretty clueless about his ambitions (like the time he decided to run for President), but Cameron is a universal best friend who is only spurred into action after Ferris’s coaxing. Ruck is hilarious in both roles, but Cameron definitely generates more empathy — though Ruck does bring some of Cameron’s nervous energy to Succession when Connor is forced to give an impromptu eulogy after learning shocking details about the recently deceased.

Nicholas Braun, Zola

Nicholas Braun and Riley Keough in Zola
Image via A24

Nicholas Braun co-starred as another awkward buffoon who is never entirely sure what’s going on in one of the best indie films of the year so far. Zola follows a wild road trip that the titular waitress (Taylour Paige) goes on after meeting the wild stripper Stefani (Riley Keough) and her boyfriend Derrek (Braun). Derrek is a lot more vulgar than Gregg, but he certainly generates a lot of sympathy as Stefani degrades and insults him. And Derrek’s misadventures with the robber Dion (Jason Mitchell) feel like a series of critical errors Greg would’ve made if he wasn’t taken in by the Roys.

Succession returns for a third season this October on HBO.

KEEP READING: ‘Succession’ Season 3: Where We Left Off and What’s Ahead for the Roy Family