‘Succession’: Kieran Culkin Explains How Roman Differs From His Siblings in Season 4
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[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Succession Season 4, Premiere Episode, “The Munsters.”]
Succession is a stage for ever-shifting family ties between the Roys, but when Season 4 begins, the bonds seem solidified as a line is drawn between Logan (Brian Cox) and his three youngest kids Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Shiv (Sarah Snook), and Roman (Kieran Culkin).
But in a show filled with so many twists can we really trust that Kendall, Shiv, and Roman are going to hold it together in their fight against Logan? As teased in the premiere, Roman has the least amount of bloodlust in his venture with Kendall and Shiv — the group was preparing to launch their own start-up, The Hundred, but ditched it to acquire media conglomerate Pierce.
Despite his loose-cannon behavior in the past, Roman appears to be exhibiting the kind of stability needed to accomplish tasks at hand.”I felt that way, too,” Culkin tells TV Insider of his character’s new demeanor. “It’s easy for people to look at him and see sort of a f**kabout. People will be like, ‘he’s got the best one-liners, it’s so funny.’ I’m like, ‘there’s a lot going on with this guy that’s a little bit more twisted and there’s definitely a darkness to him.”
(Credit: HBO)
Still, Culkin believes that Roman “can be grounded,” adding, “when he has a focus.” The question is, will he continue to be an image of stability and support alongside his siblings? “The Hundred was our own thing. We became this unified front that was, I felt, pretty strong at the end of the third season when we went after dad. But that lasted, what, a car ride? And we were dead before we even tried. He’s that powerful.”
Roman attempts to avoid further conflict with their father, despite telling his siblings otherwise. Culkin says it stems from the defeat they faced in the Season 3 finale. “We did this already and we lost instantly. We were good, we were strong, and we lost like that. So let’s just not do that again.”
The actor notes that Roman’s initial reluctance in the Pierce acquisition is because “that means going head-to-head with dad again, which is historically very bad for us.” While Shiv and Kendall push for the thing that will hurt their dad the most, Culkin says, “Roman is like… ‘let’s forge our own path.'”
“I think, at least for Roman, being able to do that away from Dad means actually rekindling some kind of relationship with Dad down the line,” the actor hints. With Roman trying to keep that door open, will he loosen the ties he’s forged with his siblings?
Only time will tell, but Culkin hints that Roman’s aim early in the season is to turn a new page. “The idea is maybe one day [Logan] and I can go and get some lunch or have a scotch, and I can ask him some advice, and he’ll give it to me,” Culkin muses, adding “Maybe dad will say, ‘proud of you.'”
That would certainly be the day if one of the Roy kids were on the receiving end of such a compliment.
Succession, Season 4, Sundays, 9/8c, HBO
