Kieran Culkin Talks HBO’s ‘Succession’ And The Therapeutic Benefits Of Playing Sociopaths [Interview]

Kieran Culkin has been performing since the age of six, and yet, the actor still hasn’t reached his prime in the film industry. One of the small percentage of child actors to brave childhood stardom and find success well into his adulthood, Culkin began acting alongside his older brother, Macaulay, in “Home Alone.” Macaulay’s knack for the craft paved the way for his younger brothers, Kieran and Rory, to pursue their own careers in the industry. Impressively, Kieran has arguably surpassed his older brother in notoriety and acting talent, becoming the consummate actor in a prolific showbiz family.

Culkin has developed an aptitude for playing slightly off, sometimes borderline sociopathic characters. He burst onto the scene as the titular role in the critically-acclaimed “Igby Goes Down,” his first role as an adult, earning him a Golden Globe nomination. As he matured as an actor, Culkin grew more selective in choosing his roles, sometimes taking two or three years to find one that struck the proper chord with him. He would go on to star in such critically-acclaimed indie films as “Lymelife” (with his brother Rory), “Paper Man,” “Wiener-Dog,” and “Infinity Baby,” as well as big-budget fare such as “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.”

His latest role on the HBO show, “Succession,” is right in his wheelhouse. He plays Roman, a questionably sociopathic, spoiled, and obnoxiously outspoken, unfiltered brat, and the son of Logan (Brian Cox), an aging media mogul. “Succession” tells the story of a dysfunctional American family running a global media empire. Roman is one of Logan’s four children, and certainly not the only one eyeing his position as CEO once he is ready to retire.

On the week of Episode 8’s air date, and less than three weeks before the season finale, I had a chance to converse with Culkin about all things “Succession,” his adroitness for playing sociopaths, his transition from child to adult actor, and more.

What initially intrigued you about the project and the role of Roman?
It was the role of Roman that attracted me. I’ve never really known why I liked something. I was just reading it and felt that I kept wanting to read it. I’ve never really been able to put to words why I like something. I just read it and I was like, “Oh, writing good. Roman good. Me want to play [laughter].” I liked the way he spoke.

There are prominent themes of family, nepotism, neglect, greed and betrayal. Your character often provides comic relief in tense situations. In preparation for your role, how did you go about bringing a relatable, humorous quality to Roman?
By saying the words that the writers wrote. The fun about playing him is the freedom to say and do whatever the hell he wants. You say, “Comic relief.” He’s not even trying to be funny or insulting. He just kind of can always get away with saying and doing whatever he wants, no matter how inappropriate. And that’s just because of the way he was raised. He was raised very privileged, rich, entitled, and could always get away with anything.

For me, it’s fun to be able to play that and to work with writers who are always trying to push it even a little further. There’s a lot of stuff that didn’t even make the edit that they would say, “Well, what if Roman said this.” It just pushed it too far and really trying to piss the people off. And then, that gave me the freedom; telling my brother that he’s not even fucking his wife right to his face, but then, trying to be able to get away with it. But I don’t see it as comic relief or trying to be the funny guy. He’s just the kind of dude who, if he thinks it’s funny, he’s just gonna say it.

Another theme is that of seeking one’s parents’ approval. However, Roman doesn’t seem as interested in achieving that as much as the others. As you mentioned, Roman’s a little bit of a shit disturber, so, what is he primarily motivated by?
That’s actually a good point. What does motivate the guy? I actually think he is seeking his father’s approval. that’s the only person that he cares to get the approval of. Like I said, he can say and do whatever he wants to do. Who cares? If it’s funny, he’s gonna say it because he doesn’t care who gets pissed off. The exception is Dad. Dad is the only guy who, if he raises his voice or gets angry, Roman gets shook. And he wants to get in the COO position so that he’s in that position, he does a great job, even though he has no idea what that job entails, just so his dad can be like, “I’m proud of you, Roman. You did it. You’re better than Kendall. And I kind of knew you were the one.” But I do think that is a bit of a motivating factor.

He gets moments where he’s pretty self-aware. he, deep down, knows that he’s not COO material but is gonna bully his way to get the job because he still feels he’s entitled to it. And then, he gets into his office for his first day, opens up the computer, sees just too many emails and too much work and realizes he’s in over his head, has no idea what to do with the job. So, he jerks off in his office to try to at least control something, get some sort of control over something.

A form of control in an otherwise chaotic environment.
He has all the powers, but he just doesn’t know how to wield them, so what else can he do? Not to be too on the nose or too gross about it [laughter].