Yahoo News Succession star explains pushing back on devastating episode 3 scene
Succession season 3 spoilers follow.
Kendall Roy actor Jeremy Strong has offered some insight to his character's closing moments in Succession season 3's third episode.
Following those tense discussions with siblings Shiv, Roman and Connor during episode 2, where Kendall was ultimately abandoned by them in his war against their father Logan, the knife was twisted even further in new scenes as Shiv penned a damning letter about him.
She labelled Kendall a drug addict and deadbeat dad, which resulted in him folding up into a ball at a TV studio, completely crushed.
Related: Succession's Nicholas Braun explains similarities with his character
"It's interesting: I didn't think it would hit me hard," Strong told TVLine, referring to his misgivings about Kendall's reaction.
Watch: Succession: Season 3
"I had some exchanges with [creator] Jesse [Armstrong] about that. I said, 'None of this is new. They've all said this shit about me before. I expect this. They're playing dirty. Why would this be devastating to me? I don't agree. And I think what she says needs to be more personal and more specific. I have strong feelings about it.'"
According to the actor, who also showed up in last year's London crime caper The Gentlemen, Armstrong replied with these words: "'I hear you, and I acknowledge that you feel this way, but see what happens.'"
"And I found myself, while we were shooting it, despite knowing that in a way we come from a family of muckrakers and mudslingers, and my father have accused me of worse things, my brother has accused me of worse things, there was still something that just was so incredibly hurtful," further recalled Strong.
Related: Succession confirms its future beyond season 3
"You're still a kid when you're with your siblings. So there's a little boy in Kendall that I find I keep being brought back to, in a way. There's just a primal hurt there.
"When I was in that engine room with those TV screens on the ground, I felt incredibly sad and incredibly alone. And I also felt how necessary it was to keep things up, because I was on the precipice of not wanting this to go on anymore."
Succession airs on HBO in the US and Sky Atlantic and NOW TV in the UK.
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