Brian Cox Has Wild Opinion On Succession’s Latest Season
Brian Cox thinks Logan Roy was killed off too early.
Brian Cox believes his Succession character Logan Roy was killed off too early in the red-hot HBO series’ final season. According to Deadline, the actor was a bit unhappy to have Roy die in only the third episode of this season, a shocking turn that surprised audiences and left the fan community abuzz about how it’s going to end. Perhaps an early death for Roy was meant to have the precise effect of setting viewers on edge, proving that the conclusion of the series might be just as unpredictable.
While the episode that ended the patriarch’s life has been widely praised, Brian Cox believes the fifth or sixth episode of Succession‘s final season might have been a better place for it to happen. Surely he wishes he’d had more time exploring and building his character, not to mention less time covering up his demise. As Deadline further reports, a BBC interview with the actor reveals that he and the production had to go to some lengths to not expose the death of Roy, as it was shot some 18 months ago.
It was at that time that Brian Cox was requested by Succession‘s producers to be present for fake scenes of his character at his own funeral—solely as misdirection for paparazzi who might have noticed Roy’s absence at the event and concluded (correctly) that he was in the casket. A year and a half was also a long time for Cox to keep the secret of his character’s demise, a gag order he is surely thankful to now have lifted, especially since it also means he can share his feeling that the event took place “ultimately too soon.” Fans might well agree, even though the episode’s storytelling, structure, and incredible shock factor have made it one that will surely become legendary in the history of the series.
Of course, Brian Cox did not want to continue on Succession indefinitely, stating that he is glad the series is ending, instead of continuing on as long as possible. That did not prevent him, however, either from bemoaning Logan Roy’s early exit or from teasing his possible return. It may sound like a sci-fi trope at first blush, but the hypothesis floated by the star is actually rooted in the series’ layers of deception and intrigue.
Indeed, Brian Cox thinks Succession‘s complexity and Logan Roy’s cleverness might hint at the possibility that he’s not actually dead at all. To him, it’s entirely possible that Roy, in his desire to see what would happen in the wake of his death—especially how his children would respond—might stage his demise in order to watch in secret as the events unfolded. In this hypothetical scenario, Logan Roy might really have been present at his funeral after all.
But Brian Cox is quick to say that this particular Succession theory is entirely his own speculation—probably. After all, what could be more fitting for this twisty, tense series than to keep its audience guessing? It could even be that Cox is on a mission not unlike the coverup of Roy’s death to plant the seeds of doubt in fans’ minds ahead of the series finale.
Fans of the show will find out when the series finale premieres tonight.
