The ruthless patriarch Logan Roy is back. Five years after presenting Succession at the opening of Series Mania, his interpreter Brian Cox was back in Lille. The actor came full circle as the guest of honor at the 5th edition of the festival to preview the first episode of the fourth and final season of HBO’s flagship, available this Monday on Prime Video, via the new Warner Pass.
“This series will remain one of my best professional experiences, without a doubt. It was a perfect series in that regard. We were incredibly successful and acclaimed. But it was time to conclude,” said Brian Cox, taking stock of four years of Succession. And to explain: “What impresses me most about Jesse Armstrong is that he is aware of it, while most American series live well beyond their expiry date”.
It is therefore without regret that the Briton will leave the role of media magnate: “HBO would have liked us to continue as Game Of Thrones, but, thank God, that will not happen! I couldn’t see saying “fuck off” for the next ten years. It’s a wonderful series, with a wonderful cast, it’s a gift. When I agreed to do this show, I was planning a peaceful cruise. I who appreciated my anonymity, now everyone knows me! »
“They all want me to tell them: ‘Fuck off’”
Many fans who always ask him the same thing: “they all want me to tell them: ”Fuck of””. And Brian Cox to continue: “Let me tell you an anecdote. I attended a meeting around #MeToo organized by my friend, Rosanna Arquette. Ronan Farrow was reading excerpts from his book, and all the women in Hollywood had come to listen to him. The atmosphere was very intense. He leaves to applause and all eyes turn to me. Everyone asks me to tell them Logan’s famous line. I tell them about the irony of the situation: “When we come to talk about #MeToo, and I’m an old male and white dinosaur, you want me to say to you: ”fuck off”, really? ”. »
“Everyone finds him horrible, but I don’t agree with that”, explains Brian Cox about Logan Roy. “He is vulnerable. Her Achilles heel is her children. Everything would be simpler if he didn’t like them, explains the actor during a masterclass. There is something tragic in him, something unrealized that he is not even aware of. He is a romantic who has lost his illusions about life and his children, and who has become cynical about it. “And to deliver his opinion on the end reserved for his character:” All I can tell you about this end is that Logan Roy gets exactly what he needs: peace. »
“A moral tale and a satire that warns us”
The actor shares a common point with his character, both were born in Dundee in Scotland. It was in this city that he shot part of the documentary How the Other Half Lives (How the Other Half Lives), in which he questions the inequality of wealth: “I wanted to make a film that would be the corollary of Succession. As a child, I lived in poverty after my father died. I remember I was going to the store fish and chips local to pick up leftovers to eat. What a huge irony for me to play years later one of the richest men in the world! »
Unlike the character he embodies, Brian Cox defines himself as a “socialist”. “This world is very unfair. That is why Succession is very important to me: it’s a moral tale and a satire that warns us,” adds the actor. A Brian Cox who claims not to have felt any particular emotion during the last take of Estate: “I’ve been doing this job for sixty years, I’ve seen others. Logan is definitely one of my favorite roles. Without a doubt. I’m an actor, you know, I’m going to do other things! But I will have to work hard not to disappoint. »
Because the 76-year-old actor does not intend to retire and is “looking forward to the next chapter”: “I can’t wait to return to the theater. I planned to do a piece on the composer Bach. I’m also going to play an aging patriarch and actor in a revival of Long journey into the night by American playwright Eugene O’Neill. Brian Cox has also decided to direct his first feature film, Glenrothan, the story of two brothers who own a distillery in Scotland: “I’m doing it now because afterwards I’ll be gaga!” »