AI aint gonna writeSuccession,orChinatownorThe Godfather,saysJeremy Strongof whats at stake withthe writers strike.
Its just not going to, the actor who broughtJesse Armstrongs words for Kendall Roy to life bluntly adds.
The Emmy winner knows of what he speaks.
Jeremy StrongHBO
DEADLINE:Now that it is all done, who was Kendall Roy to Jeremy Strong?
STRONG:He is me, and I am him.
Its hard for me to extricate myself from that or look at him in any other way.
Jeremy StrongMichael Buckner for Deadline
Hes this concatenation of all these misfires and abortive attempts and a kind of desperate wanting.
Hes kind of the embodiment of it, you know?
The full catastrophe of the tragedy of ambition.
His backstory is stuff that Ive always had, you know?
I had a bible and a timeline that Ive referred to over seven years working on this.
And then, of course, Ive kind of built my own understanding.
DEADLINE:Which is?
Its a sentence passed on him as a child.
I genuinely feel that he was capable and should have taken over.
DEADLINE:To that, how did you discover from Jesse how it would all end?
I told them: I dont see any other way for Kendall.
I dont see any way out.
Before, hes always been able to get back up.
This time is different, because the loss is total on all sides.
Hes lost his children.
Hes lost his marriage.
Hes lost his love.
Hes lost his father.
Hes lost his siblings, and hes lost the only thing he ever wanted.
That thing, that job, that role was the only thing, is his reason for being.
And personally, I thought that was an extinction-level event and theres no coming back from it.
Hes lost his soul.
STRONG:I mean, its a lot of things right?
So there was a historical consilience that happened.
The answer lies in this moment and the writers strike.
The answer is writers.
Its Jesse Armstrongs writing.
I also think that it has to do with the depths of these characters.
The show gave us all a chance to embody the furthest extremities of life.
Its almost hard for me to be outside of it.
DEADLINE:How do you mean in terms of depiction or description?
STRONG:In terms of I feel like Im watching somebody else if Im really honest with you.
The only way I can describe it is when Im inside of it, it takes over.
Its the only thing that matters in the world.
It leaves me, and I no longer even really have a relationship to it.
But I do feel very outside of and separate from the show right now and quite detached from it.
I didnt write the score, I just had to be tuned up for it.
DEADLINE:Does that make it hard for you to watch the show itself?
STRONG:Its always painful for me to watch these things.
Its a series of attempts that are imperfect attempts at the truth.
DEADLINE:Thats to the point.
STRONG:AI aint gonna writeSuccession,orChinatownorThe Godfather.Its just not going to.
And thats terrifying because in our culture, decadence is the last stage before collapse.
STRONG:I know that Im a different actor than I was when I started this seven years ago.
So now that its over, whats your perspective on that scrutiny?
And that includes how people feel about how people work and how people work.
Its a bit of like a dont talk about Fight Club situation.
Ill also say, I think Brian is a brilliant actor.
Im glad hes having this time in his career.
It was one of the great privileges of my life to be in the saddle with him.
DEADLINE: Sounds like you think it was a lot of white noise and bullsh*t?
Were all trying to get at the truth, and however anybody comes out of it is valid.
I work only to try and serve the material the best I can.
As for the white noise, youre right.
What is the work?
Its the work that matters.
