Kieran Culkin, Jeremy Strong David Russell/HBO
Kieran Culkin doesn’t understand certain labels used by other actors — and he wasn’t afraid to mention former Succession costar Jeremy Strong as a prime example.
“I object to when actors call themselves ‘storytellers,’” Culkin, 42, said during his Variety “Actors on Actors” conversation with Colman Domingo on Wednesday, December 17. “I don’t really like that.”
Culkin mentioned Strong, 45, by name while discussing his own process, adding, “Sorry, Jeremy. I don’t think I’m telling the story.”
While filming A Real Pain, Culkin found himself more appreciative of Jesse Eisenberg’s approach as a director, writer and star on the project.
Jeremy Strong raised eyebrows with his commitment to method acting — and not all of his Succession costars were on board. The hit HBO series, which premiered in 2018, centers on a wealthy family as they fight for control of their father’s company amid his declining health. Strong, who brings Logan’s (Brian Cox) heir apparent […]
“Jesse Eisenberg was really good at making sure everyone was involved, but he wrote it,” Culkin added. “He’s telling the story. We’re all helping him. So that note you got — if you’re aware of the story you’re trying to tell, and you’re trying to tell the story in the scene, that’s not really your job.”
Culkin previously shared the screen with Strong when they played siblings on HBO’s Succession. The hit series, which premiered in 2018, centered on a wealthy family as they fought for control of their father’s company amid his declining health.
Kieran Culkin, Jeremy Strong David Russell/HBO
Over the years, Strong has surprised viewers with his commitment to playing Kendall. In a December 2021 profile for The New Yorker, Strong recalled sustaining injuries while working on Succession including hurting his tibia, femur and fracturing his foot.
“If I have any method at all, it is simply this: to clear away anything — anything — that is not the character and the circumstances of the scene,” Strong explained at the time. “And usually that means clearing away almost everything around and inside you, so that you can be a more complete vessel for the work at hand.”
Who’s next in line? Succession may have been inspired by a real-life media empire, but there’s more drama packed into this HBO series than could ever appear on reality TV. Since it premiered in June 2018, fans have been drawn into the ins and outs of the Roy family as they battle for power at […]
Strong’s costars, however, didn’t appear as thrilled by his behavior. Strong acknowledged that his method may come off as “difficult” to others, adding, “Sometimes there must even be room for necessary roughness.”
Culkin was quoted in the article when discussing how Strong’s work ethic is “something that helps” him. “I can tell you that it doesn’t help me,” he added.
Brian Cox, who played family patriarch Logan, expressed concerns about the aftermath of method acting.
(L-R) Jeremy Strong and Kieran Culkin Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Vanity Fair
“The thing about Jeremy’s approach is it works in terms of what comes out the other end,” he detailed during an appearance on Late Night With Seth Meyers in 2021. “I don’t have a problem with Jeremy because he’s delightful. … He’s an extraordinary dad. He’s a pretty unique individual. But he does get obsessed with the work. And I worry about what it does to him, because if you can’t separate yourself — because you’re dealing with all of this material every day. You can’t live in it. Eventually, you get worn out.”
Cox continued: “Like, to me, Daniel Day Lewis got worn out at 55 and decided to retire because [he] couldn’t go on doing that every day. It’s too consuming. And I do worry about it. But the result — what everyone says about Jeremy — the result is always extraordinary and excellent.”
After receiving backlash for his comments, Strong called the New Yorker profile a “pretty profound betrayal” of his trust, telling Vanity Fair in September 2022, “It was painful. I felt foolish. As an actor, one of the most vital secret weapons that you can have is the ability to tolerate feeling foolish.”
Strong elaborated on his frustration with the situation that same month.
“A lot of that is just things that are presented out of context or with a certain agenda,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “I know what everybody said, and there was an angle and a narrative that was being presented. Which is not to say that there was never friction between my costars. We’re a family in every sense of the word. But foundationally, there’s deep respect and even love.”
