Note: This story contains spoilers from “Succession” Season 4, Episode 7.
Sunday’s episode of “Succession” marked a major turning point in the final season, as the Roy siblings found new leverage in their effort to stop Waystar Royko’s takeover of Gojo.
In addition to delving into a troubled relationship between Lucas Mattsson (Alexander Skarsgård) and his public relations chief Ebba (Eli Horbo), Episode 7 reveals that Gojo’s subscriber metrics have spiked in India – a major concern that Can prevent the deal from closing.
TheWrap spoke with Skarsgård about the HBO drama’s latest chapter and the “honor” of returning for the final season. Watch the full conversation below.
How does it feel to be a major player in the final season of the biggest drama series of our time?
It has been a real honour. I was a huge fan of the show when he called and asked if I wanted to do it. It was the only show I used to watch and follow religiously every week on television. I’ve followed Jesse Armstrong’s career from “Pep Show” to “In the Loop” and I think he is an extraordinary writer. So this season for me is like a great bonus for me. I came back last year to do this little thing again, because I was a huge fan of the show. It was going to be two but ended up being three episodes and that was such a treat for me.
He was one of a kind. Regardless, considering how last season ended, there was a potential opening for Mattson for something else this year. But I didn’t really know until Jesse at all [Armstrong] called early last year when they were getting ready to start season 4 and asked if I had any interest in coming back, and explained a bit about the story; The idea of the type of structure, the dynamics of the group, what was going to happen and he mentioned Blood Bricks, got me very excited (laughs). I think years later when I look back on my career, I am sure this will be one of the highlights.
Are “Succession” fans asking you for bricks of blood now?
Yes. I get a lot of brickbat jokes when I’m out in public, of course. (laughs)
What were your early conversations with Jesse Armstrong like about the character, and how much did he tell you about where Matson’s story was going?
Even before we started, I knew roughly how Lucas would view a small rift between the brothers and Shiva. Lucas is a hunter, and in that moment he’ll see an opportunity and he’ll pounce. I think that’s been part of his success story, that he can read people and he can feel when he has an opportunity like this he can be open to it and then he goes full force. Will grow And it works, he’s got her on his side now. And at this point in this story, he’s still testing her because he doesn’t know what she has. He generally has little respect for all the Roy siblings as he believes it is just pure nepotism, they are here because of their connection with their father who was a Titan. But he’s getting to explore her a bit to see if she’s like a little Nepo baby or has she got what she needs? And with the party scene, Mattson comes like a hand grenade into this room in a gray suit and his philosophy is like it’s always been there. He just goes fast and he breaks things.
In Sunday’s episode, we learn about Gojo boosting its subscriber metrics in India. What does this mean for the merger?
There’s a weird juxtaposition between them being incredibly smart and thoughtful and tech-savvy in a way, but also kind of unbalanced and reckless and sometimes not very thoughtful. This whole India thing – which could be very, very bad for him – he’s very optimistic about everything in life and he’s like “No, we’ll figure it out, it’s okay. We just got some PR people to do this.” Throw it on and we’ll sort it out.” Which clearly scares Shiva as he asks “Well, am I betting the wrong horse here?” Like how bad is it? And does he realize that this could be really bad? But that just charges forward.
How would you describe Lucas Mattson’s relationship with Abba?
It’s incredibly unfair and masochistic and weird, but she’s got so many benefits. Now, apparently, she’s literally sitting on more than his blood. But we also wanted their relationship to be weird because you can go in a direction where it’s like, he’s just an abusive boss and she hates him and she’s going to take advantage of that. It’s not like they’re co-dependent but it’s weird like he’s horrible to her sometimes. But then she can be really vulnerable and sweet and you see them arguing and then five seconds later they’re whispering to each other and like holding hands and then they go out partying together and then She says maybe I will sue him tomorrow and I will earn a billion dollars or maybe I will marry him. It’s that kind of relationship and it’s very toxic, but, there’s also complexity that I’ve had a lot of fun exploring with [Eili Horboe] who plays abba,
What was it like working with Sarah Snook, Jeremy Strong and Kieran Culkin? What lessons have you learned from working on Succession?
I’m pretty sure when I look back, I’ll consider this one of the creative highlights of my career. I don’t remember when I had so much fun on the set. It’s 100% nice people, everyone is really nice and lovely to be in front of and behind the camera, and their writing is so great you don’t have to change a word, which is rare. You don’t have to change a single word but there’s still room for improvement if you want to try something, or go off on tangents or play with it. So you’re filled with this creative freedom and confidence by Jesse and the team, and to get to know the main cast and how they’ve opened their arms and so generously let me and the other new members of the cast in, I’m Incredibly grateful for this. We will be friends forever but I will definitely miss being on the sets of “Succession” with these crazy motherfs.
What was your reaction to Logan’s shocking death in episode 3?
I’m really surprised that Logan’s death could have been kept a secret until it aired, because we shot some big, big scenes with hundreds of extra takes and where you can hear the dialogue, it’s very clear that Logan is dead. Is. But the fact that it didn’t get out and they were able to keep it a secret until the episode aired, I would say was pretty remarkable, because he didn’t have many people know about it.
I found it difficult, biting my tongue several times between reading the episode and then airing, but I think it’s quite a remarkable feat that they kept it a secret. I thought it was fantastic to have Logan Roy’s Titan ending like Jesse.
In terms of narrative, it’s so unconventional, it’s so surprising, which is what makes it so genius. And in 99.9% of shows that story will definitely end in a cliffhanger, like the last episode of the season and you’ll see the characters falter a bit and a big death scene. The fact that you haven’t seen any of this happen and it happens in a very dramatic way, it was a weird missed phone call eight minutes into the third episode of season one, I think adds to the confusion and it’s so real. Guess because it doesn’t feel dramatic or elevated. It just feels like you’re with the siblings because they’re finding out in real time and its disbelief and its confusion. There’s something worldly about it, which I find wonderful. So hate Jesse and the writers for that.
“Succession” airs Sundays on HBO.
