Casting and creation

Strong's previous role in the Adam McKay film The Big Short led McKay to offer him a part in the show, of which he was a producer. McKay originally described the show to him as a "King Lear for the media-industrial complex" and gave him the script, so he could pick a role he "connected" with. Strong was initially interested in playing Roman Roy, the family's youngest son, as it was a type of character he had not played before. In August 2016, Strong received a call that the part had been given to Kieran Culkin, despite this, showrunner Jesse Armstrong agreed to audition him for the role of Kendall Roy, the middle son and heir apparent. Strong was quite disappointed after not getting the role of Roman: "[...] the disappointment and the feeling of being thwarted—it only sharpened my need and hunger. I went in with a vengeance."^[2] He prepared by reading books such as Michael Wolff’s biography of Rupert Murdoch and chose details from it, like the way James Murdoch would tie his shoe laces.^[2] Armstrong, said of the audition: “He just felt completely Kendall from the very first read, he just had it all internalized—Kendall’s ambition and competency, but also that Achilles heel of always feeling his father’s watchfulness.”^[3] He also felt that Kendall was the hardest character to cast: "If we don’t get this right, it’ll be a big problem. So when I saw somebody in Jeremy who could do that incredibly engaged, real thing, that made me very happy."^[4] Strong felt that during his audition he had a "narrative," saying: "I’m determined, I’m a fighter, I’m full of doubt, and those things are all true of Kendall. I think they’re maybe true of me."^[2] McKay said Strong had "one of the most difficult roles" in the show.^[5]

For Strong, Kendall was a particularly draining role. “I don’t think I’m a very dark person, I think I tend towards positivity in my own life. At times it has felt like holding myself under water, or under a sheet of ice.”^[6] Due to the emotional toll some of the storylines took on his character, Strong has said of filming the first season: "That was a harrowing time for me," adding, "People ask me if I’m having fun, It’s not fun to live in that place."^[3] He was reticent of the idea that the show was a comedy, and discussed the issue with co-star Kieran Culkin. When confronted by an interviewer, who told him he thought the show was indeed a dark comedy, Strong asked: “In the sense that, like, Chekhov is comedy?”^[2] In order to maintain the tension between the family members on the show, Strong reduced his interactions with his cast members to a minimum, "While we were cordial and friendly, and I have a great deal of love and respect for all the actors on the show, I tended to keep a distance and felt quite remote. We were atomized as a family."^[7] Of Strong's approach director Mark Mylod said: "Had it been anyone other than Jeremy, anyone with less talent, it would have driven me crazy.”^[8]

Armstrong has said that Kendall and his siblings were inspired by real-life magnates' offspring such as, Ian and Kevin Maxwell, Shari and Brent Redstone, as well as Murdoch's children.^[9][10] He also wanted them to have lived in England for a while, as a way to show that they were, "quite international due to being incredibly wealthy."^[4] Aside from Murdoch's biography, Strong also read other books in that realm, such as Sumner Redstone’s "A Passion to Win," and Donald Trump's The Art of the Deal, he also researched on the question of legacy by looking at the Redstones, Conrad Black, the Koch brothers, the Newhouse family, and the Sulzberger family, as an attempt to understand the world Kendall inhabited.^[11] Before the first season started filming, Strong recalled visiting the writers room in Brixton and picking up on a wall covered in note cards, plotting out the story. “All I remember is that there was one card which became prescient: Kendall wins but loses.”^[6] Some objects were added by the actor such as cards that were in Kendall's office, handwritten by Strong, based on conversations with the show's business consultant.^[4]

Characterisation

At the beginning of the first season, Strong said that the character is trying on a, "tech media bro persona," as a way to project a confident and "fearsome" image. He noted that Kendall is "riddled with doubt," and that his addiction shows, "the need to fill some lack in himself."^[11] He noted that Kendall's main wish was "To have his father’s love and respect. Kendall wishes to have his father’s approval, and so he’s trying to act the way his father would act," adding, "Kendall is not like his father, but he is trying so hard to gain his father’s respect. [...] I think he’s driven to a place where he crosses his own moral boundaries."^[12] On the problems Kendall has while conducting business, Strong felt that the character, "Just simply doesn’t have that killer instinct. He’s not a ruthless person; he’s not an amoral operator the way his father is." Regardless, he added that the only future for Kendall is to either, "escape his family’s legacy and the poison of that, or [...] internalize it and become his father." Strong used The Godfather's Michael Corleone as a reference for building Kendall's arc.^[11] Brian Cox, who plays Logan, said of the character, "Kendall’s a dreamer. Kendall is an addict. He does expect something for nothing. That’s his biggest mistake."^[13]

Style and appearance

As a character, Kendall Roy has been noted for his fashion sense, and compared to other characters on the show, he has been said to have "a definitive style."^[14] Jeremy Strong worked very closely with the show's costume designer, Michelle Matland, regarding Kendall's appearance. "Strong is very, very involved in everything to do with his character—down to his underpants and socks. Every detail has to be fully Kendall," she recalled, even pointing out that, indeed, the underwear had to come from "some incredibly hard-to-come-by European brand."^[15] Matland has said that Strong brought his fashion knowledge to the character, and was very opinionated on the issue. "His clothing is all super high-end, top of the line [...] Whatever it costs, Kendall would wear it, because he’s not looking at the money."^[16] Strong has said that "fashion is a passion" of his.^[17] GQ said "When not in a regular business suit, he wears the kind of haute-businessman threads that are bland yet clearly expensive."^[18] His clothes fit his role in the show of "uber-wealthy businessman," often wearing labels like, Brunello Cucinelli, Gucci, Tom Ford, Armani, and Loro Piana.^[18] Piana sent Strong a custom jacket, and Swiss luxury brand, Richard Mille, a watch.^[19] He also collaborated on a pair of sunglasses with brand Jacques Marie Mage.^[20][21] Strong said "Those are all things that I do on my own because those details just feel really important to me, and so I take initiative in that area."^[19] His casual wear has been described as "hypebeast-adjacent."^[14] Kendall's outfits often represent the point he's at in his character arc.^[18] Matland pointed out that the clothing in season one, "it’s very austere, it’s much darker," compared to the second where, "There’s a lot of muted, muddy greens, a lot of browns." A contrast between, how his confidence in the former, was affected by the emotional toll the arc on the latter, took on him.^[15] In the fourth season he goes back to being bit "more buttoned up", with Matland noting, "He still listens to Jay-Z and still has his hip, nuanced clothing. It reflects his having become more of himself, stronger in his person."^[16] Although it would be realistic for the characters to have their own stylists due to their wealth, Tiffanie Woods, the administrator behind the Instagram account @successionfits, felt that Kendall's fashion sense was all his, recalling an episode where he wears a pair of Lanvin sneakers, "[...] that is totally him because they’re like these gaudy sneakers. A stylist wouldn’t pick those out for him. Those are the little markers that they leave for interpretation for the viewer."^[22] Strong ended up keeping the sneakers.^[11] Matland thought that he's the one character on the show that has an "insight" into fashion. "When he’s alone, he’ll assess his clothes and think, “Who am I? What is this saying?”^[23]

Kendall's hairstyle also reflects the character's evolution. He normally has short slicked down hair with a side part. Strong, who has gray hair, would dye it black for the show.^[24] Angel De Angelis the show's head hairstylist commented, "Everyone has a business-oriented haircut on the show." In the third season his hair becomes shorter and uneven, eventually turning into a buzzcut, Angelis said this change depicted what the character was going through, "He doesn't have to look a certain way anymore, so he just let it go."^[25]

Early life

Kendall Logan Roy^[26] was born in England in 1980 to media mogul Logan Roy and English aristocrat Lady Caroline Collingwood. The first son of the marriage, he has two younger siblings Roman and Siobhan "Shiv" Roy, and an older half-brother, Connor, from Logan's first marriage. As his parents divorced, he moved to New York City with his father and siblings. At the age of seven, while at a candy kitchen in Long Island, Logan promised Kendall he would take the reins of the company after his retirement. Kendall attended the all-male Buckley School, where he met best friend Stewy Hosseini. They subsequently went to Harvard University, where Kendall was part of The Harvard Lampoon staff. During that time they would often attend parties and do cocaine together. After graduating, he spent time in Shanghai learning the fundamentals of the family business; there, he spent time with Nate Soffrelli, who would later become involved with Shiv.^[27] With his wife, Rava, Kendall has an adopted daughter, Sophie, and a son Iverson. His substance abuse issues lead to the breakdown of his marriage and a months-long stint in rehab.

Appearances

Accolades

Strong's performance in the role has received universal acclaim from critics, having won him a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2020.^[2][28] He also received the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama, Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series, a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series and a Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film.^{[29][30][31][32]}

Critical reception

In a review of the show's first two episodes, Jake Nevis of The Guardian described Strong as, "an impressive lead, possessed of a toxic masculinity complex to rival that of Patrick Bateman or Gordon Gekko. [...] Beneath the machismo, though, is a fragile prodigal son, recently back from rehab and still acclimating to the dick-measuring contest that is venture capitalism."^[33]

In 2019, Kyle McGovern of GQ wrote, "Tuning out Succession obviously also means you're robbing yourself of Strong's performance, which belongs in the conversation for most complex and committed work on television right now."^[3] TVLine named Strong "Performer of the Year" in 2021 for his work on Succession, writing, "For three seasons now, Strong has been carefully crafting a portrait of a little boy lost, a man who knows how to play the corporate hero but doesn’t know how to be OK with himself. (...) Succession remains one of the best shows on television in large part because Strong’s central performance is so complex and so fascinating."^[34]

Upon the series finale, Michael Schulman of The New Yorker, said of Kendall Roy: "We'll be saying goodbye to one of contemporary television's great characters, arguably the protagonist of Jesse Armstrong’s stacked ensemble,"^[26] while TVLine wrote, "it was a fittingly grand final act for Strong, as he found an exquisite pathos in Kendall’s downfall and put the finishing touches on one of the best TV performances of the past decade."^[35] The Times described him as "a bruised antihero and mess, the best TV character of the past decade."^[24]