"Sometimes you don't want to know": Succession star Matthew Macfadyen reveals he knew the ending halfway through
HBO's Succession launched in 2018 and quickly managed to capture global attention. The final season of the saga, tracking the power dynamics of the media mogul Roy family, kicked off on March 26, 2023, bringing a startling conclusion to the series. In a recent conversation with Anthony Nash for Variety, Matthew Macfadyen offered some unique insights about the show.
Hinting at the sense of inevitability about the show's end, Macfayden said:
"Sometimes you don’t want to know — the other two seasons, I’d hadn’t known. But I sort of knew it was coming to an end. And so I thought, let’s find out."
Matthew Macfadyen plays the role of Tom Wambsgans, a loyal yet ambitious player in the Roy family dynamics, in HBO's acclaimed series Succession. The season concluded on HBO on May 28, 2023.
Matthew Macfadyen reveals that he knew Succession's finale ahead of time
The HBO series that held viewers captive with its intricate plotlines and complex characters, ended with a surprise twist that left fans reeling. Among the well-crafted ensemble of characters, Matthew Macfadyen's portrayal of Tom Wambsgans stood out, particularly in the series finale. Tom's journey, from an eager-to-please outsider to a pivotal player in the Roy family empire was brilliantly executed by Macfadyen.
In a recent interview, Macfadyen shared his experience of learning about the game-changing ending of Succession. He admitted to being as shocked as viewers were when he first read the season four script. He said that he had a chat with the show's creator Jesse Armstrong around the time of the fourth or the fifth episode. Armstrong told the actor that if he wanted to know about the show's end, Macfayden could go meet the show's creator.
However, he noted that he had always chosen to not find out as it was "kind of neither here nor there." Continuing, he said that the actors just played the episodes as they came in. He added that he thought he would "quite fancy" knowing what happens because he believed that the fourth season could have been the last one.
Macfadyen's curiosity about the fate of his character had fans wondering what it was like for the rest of the cast. Specifically, Sarah Snook, who played Shiv Roy, Tom's wife, and the only daughter of the Roy clan, also had her share of surprises while reading the season four script.
When asked about the easter eggs in the show, during Jimmy Fallon's show she mentioned that there were some easter eggs. She noted that viewers wouldn't know about them until they saw it and compared it to the Da Vinci Code, stating that viewers would be "sort of putting things together." She added:
"But, like, there is a thing that, once the season begins airing, it may get related back to this moment."
Shiv, played by Snook, transitioned from a disinterested political consultant to a central figure in the family business feud. Her initial strategic alliance with Tom grew into a complicated mix of power, betrayal, and unexpected love, all even more complicated by the series' stunning finale.
Unmasking the plot and star-studded cast of HBO's Succession
Succession tells the tale of a powerful media tycoon, Logan Roy, and the intricate webs of ambition and rivalry that tie his family together. Central to the storyline is the fierce race among Roy's children to gain control of the family's corporate empire.
The synopsis of season four as per HBO reads:
"The sale of media conglomerate Waystar Royco to tech visionary Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård) moves ever closer. The prospect of this seismic sale provokes existential angst and familial division among the Roys as they anticipate what their lives will look like once the deal is complete. A power struggle ensues as the family weighs up a future where their cultural and political weight is severely curtailed.''
Matthew Macfadyen's exceptional portrayal of Tom Wambsgans, undergoing a remarkable transformation, stands at the core of the tale. The series boasts a stellar ensemble cast, including Brian Cox, Sarah Snook, Jeremy Strong, and Kieran Culkin, lending a distinct richness and complexity to the show.
The enticing drama of Succession is available for streaming on HBO.
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Madhur Dave