Emmy-winning actor Jeremy Strong offers a fascinating glimpse into the depths of his commitment to his roles through a captivating story from his time on the acclaimed series Succession. The popular HBO drama features him as Kendall Roy, a character that has been positioned as the likely heir to the Waystar-Royco empire, but his fate takes a different turn.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, the actor shared how filming the final sequence of the series almost led him to jump into the freezing East River before his co-star stopped him.
Jeremy Strong’s East River Incident During Succession Finale
The Succession finale closes with Kendall Roy staring blankly at the East River’s gentle waves after the board vote is over. Talking about the scene in an interview with Vanity Fair, Succession star Jeremy Strong shared that he insisted on shooting closer to the water despite the freezing weather.
“I’d never seen waves like that in the East River. It felt biblical,” he recalled. However, after filming, the actor took his commitment to the scene to the next level as he tried to jump into the freezing East River. Recalling that moment, he shared that he felt an impulse to answer the call of water,
“The water was calling to me. — I tried to go into the water after we cut.—I got up from that bench and went as fast as I could over the barrier and onto the pilings.”
Fortunately, his co-star, who played the role of Colin, raced over and stopped him. “I didn’t know I was gonna do that, he didn’t know, but he raced over and stopped me,” he shared. Reflecting on the incident, Strong shared that, in that particular moment, he felt Kendall’s desire to either embrace his demise or salvation, which he found in the form of Scott Nicholson (Colin) stopping him.
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Jeremy Strong Terrified the Succession Creator
The Succession creator, Jesse Armstrong, shared that he was terrified by Jeremy Strong’s unexpected take while filming the series finale. He recalled the incident in an interview with NPR, saying that it did not look like Strong was going to jump in until he suddenly claimed over the barrier.
“When you film, there are generally a lot of health and safety assessments made,” he explained. However, on that particular day, the unplanned action caught them off guard. The absence of planned safety measures like boats and frogmen raised his concerns for the actor’s well-being.
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Producer Frank Rich added that Scott Nicholson, who portrayed Colin, seemed “somewhat alarmed” during the final sequence, not just in his role but also as a person. And that could be the reason he was able to react to the situation quickly.
Succession is available to stream on Max.
