Jeremy Strong speaks up on his mental health post Succession: ‘Kendall’s struggle was difficult to carry for 7 years’
The actor will now play lawyer Roy Cohn in the upcoming movie The Apprentice, which follows Donald Trump’s early years as a New York businessman.
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Award-winning actor Jeremy Strong, who gained widespread fame for playing Kendall Roy in HBO’s critically acclaimed series Succession, has talked candidly about the emotional toll the role took on him. After seven long years of engrossing audiences as the tortured rapper, Strong disclosed that the role caused him to lose his sense of joy.
Jeremy Strong on Succession
The man behind the nervous and troubled Kendall Roy, Jeremy Strong, acknowledged in an illuminating interview with the Sunday Times that the job was both a boon and a bit of a bane. “It fuc*** me up,” he admitted. He was ensnared in a dramatic dance with Kendall’s delicate mind for seven years; at times, this commitment frustrated his co-star Brian Cox, who called it “fu*** annoying.”
Strong has put an end to any hopes of bringing the character back in spin-offs now that the show has concluded its four-season run, saying, “It’s not something I have any wish to do any longer. I’m aware it is one of the main chapters of my life, but I don’t miss it.”
Nonetheless he affirmed “that show was an incalculable gift. The material was a banquet, so I miss that. But Kendall’s struggle was difficult to carry for seven years, and there’s just so much more I want to do”.
Jeremy Strong garners the Roy connection in The Apprentice
Even though Jeremy Strong is entering the legal field in his new role as a lawyer in the biopic of Donald Trump, he still has a strong connection to the name Roy as plays Roy Cohn. Strong plays Trump’s mentor and lawyer in the movie, which stars Sebastian Stan in the starring role. Trump was a Manhattan real estate master in his early years.
Strong revealed that the project was rejected by every film studio before it was eventually picked up. When The Apprentice made its Cannes debut, the Trump campaign made news by threatening legal action against the movie in a cease-and-desist letter.
The release date of the movie is especially interesting because it falls during an election season. The crew recently called the movie “an exploration of a human tragedy” in an interview with the New York Times.
The movie wasn’t purposefully released to align with the political climate, Jeremy Strong emphasized, saying, “there was never a plan to make this a political act or a hand grenade to be dropped in the middle of the election.”
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