The HBO series Succession is back for its fourth and final season, and the only sure thing when it comes to the Roy family is that there will be power plays, cutthroat moves made, and loyalty will be questioned. Fractured even deeper, after the events of Season 3 finale with siblings Shiv (Sarah Snook), Kendall (Jeremy Strong) and Roman (Kieran Culkin) teaming up against their father Logan (Brian Cox), unaware that Shiv’s husband Tom (Matthew Macfadyen) had switched sides against them, it will be nail-biting to see how all the family drama plays out.

During this 1-on-1 interview with Collider, Alan Ruck (who plays Connor, the oldest of the Roy children) talked about never knowing how each season would unfold, that the scripts would get tinkered with until the last minute, how Connor feels about where things are at for him, how he feels about the series finale and the way the characters are sent off, and the experience of getting to bond with his TV family over these seasons.

Collider: The Season 3 finale was absolute magnificent perfection, on every level. What was it like to get that script, read it, shoot that episode, and then have to wait for the first script for Season 4? Did you have any idea what to expect, after that?

ALAN RUCK: No, we actually never have had a clue about how it’s going to unfold. Waiting for so long has just been part of the game with this show. We did the pilot around December of 2016. They had the first read through of the pilot episode on Election Day of 2016, but I wasn’t there. And then, we didn’t start to shoot the rest of the first season until nearly a year later. HBO takes their time and they let the writers have all the time they need. So, we’re used to waiting and we’re also used to not knowing what’s coming. It’s like life, I suppose. We never know what’s gonna happen.

Do you get used to that, or is it hard to not know? Are you okay with not knowing?

RUCK: Different people have different issues with it. Hiam Abbass, whose first language is Arabic, would complain because we would get the scripts before the read through, literally at midnight or two o’clock in the morning before the next day when we had to read it. She said, “This is not my language. I need to figure out what I’m saying.” That’s just the way it was. Our writers are so good, they cannot leave it alone. They just keep tinkering with it until the last minute and it pays off, certainly, but it was just a different way of working.

How would you say Connor feels about where he’s at, at the beginning of this season?

RUCK: Things are moving forward with Willa (Justine Lupe), so he’s really thrilled about that. He still feels like he’s in the game, politically, albeit in a very small manner, but he still feels like he’s a contestant. I think he’s scared about spending all this money. He doesn’t know how it’s all gonna turn out. Obviously, he has no clue. So, he’s a little scared about that stuff, but he’s fairly upbeat. His life is probably nicer now than it’s been in a long time.

It was sad to listen to him trying so hard to hold onto the 1% he has in the polls. Did you ever think a human being could be so excited about having 1% of something?

RUCK: Well, 1% is probably about a million people. Just being the devil’s advocate here, that’s not nothing. If you had a million followers on Twitter, or whatever, you’d be pretty happy about that. I don’t think he’s entirely wrong.

You’re an advocate for your character. That’s always a good thing.

RUCK: I’ve gotta love him a little bit, warts and all.

Without spoilers, how do you feel about the way the storyline wraps up, by the end of the season, especially for your character? How did you feel about the way it all ends?

RUCK: We knew a few things, from the beginning of the season. Way back in June, we knew a couple of things, but mostly, it was a need to know basis. Some characters were clued in about what was gonna happen with them, but if people didn’t really need to know, we were just allowed to discover it, as it happened. I think the show ends in a perfect Succession fashion. I think it’s very satisfying. I think it will also make people crazy. But that’s what our show does.

Would you say that your character is in a place that you would have chosen for him to end up? Does it feel like an ending that’s suitable for him, with the journey that he’s gone on?

RUCK: Yeah, I do. Me, as Alan playing Connor, I don’t think I have enough perspective. I can’t step outside it enough to really choose the best path for him. I think our writers have definitely sent everyone off in the appropriate manner. I do.

Does it feel like a luxury to work on a TV series that really can choose what it ends and go out on a high note, or would you have been just as game to do a Season 5?

RUCK: If Jesse had figured out a way to make it go five seasons, I would have liked to have gone five. I would have, and I think we all feel that way, for a lot of different reasons. First of all, the writing is so good. This stuff doesn’t grow on trees. It’s exceptional. And then, it’s just a fantastic group of people, the cast and the crew. Working for HBO is a dream. They’re the nicest people to work with and work for. So, I think most of us would have enjoyed a fifth season. I think there were a couple of people that were tired and they were like, “No, I’m good.” But if Jesse could have figured out a way, I would have done another season, sure.

How much will you miss having Brian Cox tell you and everyone around you to “fuck off,” on a regular basis?

RUCK: Well, I can always just call him up and say, “Brian lay it on me. Help me out.”

Did you take any mementos from the set, as a keepsake from playing Connor?

RUCK: Everybody wants to know if I’m a thief. I’m not going to incriminate myself. I’m invoking the fifth right now.

What has it been like to work with this cast, over these seasons? You guys have played a family for four seasons, but how was it to form that bond?

RUCK: It was amazing how quickly we came together. It really happened in the pilot. Everybody came in with a strong point of view about what they were doing. There was a moment in the pilot where Kieran [Culkin], as Roman, laid upside down on a chaise, and I immediately knew who he was. I was like, “Oh, you’re that guy. That’s who you are.” There was just an amazing amount of trust and generosity with each other, so it was just easy to come together as a unit. It wasn’t hard. Sometimes that stuff can be difficult. You have to create a whole relationship in a couple of days. But we didn’t have any problem with that. It was some really good casting. Everybody just fell into it.

Succession airs on Sunday nights on HBO and is available to stream at HBO Max.