Late last year, an infamous profile piece of “Succession” star Jeremy Strong in The New Yorker made headlines.
The article went viral due to its in-depth look at Strong’s eccentric methods, which led to a bit of public ridicule and backlash against the actor over his behavior. In the piece the actor was portrayed as having his character’s intensity and self-centerism in real life, and there was a repeated implication that Strong is the only actor on “Succession” who doesn’t get that the show is a dark comedy.
Now, Strong has finally broken his silence on that article. Appearing at the Telluride Film Festival this week to promote James Gray’s new film “Armaggedon Time,” the actor didn’t hold back from discussing his feelings about the piece as he tells Vanity Fair:
It was something that, for me, felt like a pretty profound betrayal of trust. [It] may be ultimately said more about the person writing it and their perspective, which is a valid perspective, than it did about who I feel I am and what I’m about.
… I felt foolish. As an actor, one of the most vital secret weapons that you can have is the ability to tolerate feeling foolish. Any day you walk onto a set, if you’re not in a place where you’re not risking that and you’re not wagering enough, I’m always feeling like I might be making a big, giant f—ing fool of myself – with James’s film, with the show.
That’s part of the price of admission to doing good work, which involves risk and which involves getting yourself out there. I guess I’d say that it’s all fine. Acting is something that’s hard to talk about without sounding self-serious, but it is something that I feel very seriously about and care about and have devoted my life to.”
Strong is very much in the midst of shooting the fourth season of “Succession” right now, saying showrunner Jesse Armstrong and the new season are “taking me to places I haven’t been before as an actor.”
“Armageddon Time” opens in limited release in North America on October 28th before expanding wide on November 4th. The fourth season of “Succession” will arrive on HBO sometime in 2023.
Source: Vanity Fair
