The Rise of The Roman Empire: Kieran Culkin Dives Into His Sharp-Tongued Character on SUCCESSION, But Not Too Deeply!

By BILL HARRIS Special to The Lede Roman Roy gets political in a literal way in a new episode of HBO’s SUCCESSION, Sunday, Nov. 21, only on Crave. It has always been understood that the Roy family’s vast media empire carries significant political clout, even if the government doesn’t always do exactly what Waystar RoyCo wants. But as Season 3 continues on Sunday, viewers get a window into the machinery of how that political influence truly works. The Roy siblings – including Roman, the youngest, played unforgettably by Kieran Culkin – have vastly different reactions to the possibilities that are exposed through this unofficial, behind-the-scenes political process. What happens when what’s good for the company might not necessarily be good for the country, or vice versa? How much should one care? Either way, Roman finds himself at the centre of the action. During a virtual interview, Culkin smiled approvingly when Roman was described as being mostly a “professional voyeur.” So is Roman at his most uncomfortable when he occasionally has to admit that he cares about something? For example, for whatever reason, Roman seems to truly crave the approval and respect of his father Logan, played by Brian Cox, to the point that it’s probably surprising even to Roman himself. But Culkin’s thoughtful answer might surprise longtime fans of SUCCESSION, as he believes Roman is the most family-oriented, and even sentimental, of the Roy siblings, despite his infamously sharp tongue. “I don’t know how the other siblings, or the rest of the family, really feels, but I think Roman still has a sense of family, and that we’re a unit still, even though he tries to, you know, tear his siblings apart from time to time,” Culkin said. “There’s a good deal of freedom – I think he can go as hard as he wants against them, because they’re family. Like, you can say any horrible thing and try to eviscerate them, and then we’ll get together at Christmas and it’s going to be fine, see you at dad’s birthday. So I think he does really care about his siblings, and yet he wants to get his father’s approval. I just think it’s probably hard to talk about, if that makes sense. That’s the little subtle difference. I don’t think he has the tools to talk. I don’t think any of them do.” Beyond that, though, whether it comes to Roman trying to excel in the family business, or playing politics, or simply connecting with anyone else on a mature level, Culkin said he doesn’t really spend much time attempting to figure out Roman. And it’s a calculated choice. “I’ve taken a different approach to this than I have for other things – this is my first time doing television, so in the past when I would work on films, I would try to fully understand the character, there’s an arc, and I’d try to really get into that character’s head,” Culkin explained. “But in this instance, I try not to analyze it, not only because we’re still going, but also because, as much as Roman has been through a good amount of therapy and has worked through some things, I don’t think he fully understands himself. And therefore, I don’t really want to understand him, either. I’m trying not to deep-dive too much. Lame answer, sorry. Lame!” Hardly. But finally, here’s a question that’s purely for fun: which of the main actors on SUCCESSION is least like their characters? “I’ve thought about this, because there’s a good deal of the real person in almost all of these characters, but Matthew (Macfadyen) and Tom (Wambsgans, MacFadyen’s character) are two wildly different people,” Culkin said. “I could say the same about Shiv and (Sarah) Snook as well. But with Matthew and Tom, even his posture is different. It’s really like looking at two different people. Just from Roman’s perspective, there’s this buffoon guy Tom, and then when they’re setting up a new shot and Matthew is just walking around the set, and seeing how completely differently we all treat Matthew … I don’t know how he finds Tom in there, because it’s just not at all present inside him. So yeah, that one’s probably the furthest.” billharristv@gmail.com @billharris_tv