Jeremy Strong says playing Kendall in Succession for seven years was "difficult" and he does not miss it

Jeremy Strong reflects on his experience playing Kendall Roy in Succession and admits that the role left a brutal impact. The actor explained why he's putting the character behind him in a recent interview with The Times on Sunday, October 13.

While Strong earned an Emmy and a Golden Globe for playing Kendall, he has little to no interest in reprising the role in any spinoff series, 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."

The actor explained that having Kendall's tortured mindset for four seasons of Succession had a massive impact on him, that "sometimes [he] lost touch with joy." While he said that he misses some parts of the show, he also admitted that it was difficult to play his character, adding:

"That show was an incalculable gift. The material a banquet. So I miss that. But Kendall's struggle was difficult to carry for seven years."

Succession premiered in 2018 and went on for four seasons until the finale in 2023. The show follows the wealthy Roy family, who owns a global media and entertainment conglomerate. The family patriarch is Logan Roy, played by Brian Cox, and Strong's Kendall is one of his many dysfunctional adult children.

Jeremy Strong also shared another reason why going back for a Succession spinoff is out of the question for him. He said that there is so much more he wants to do in terms of his craft, including rediscovering play when the show ends.

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Jeremy Strong admits to using his character in The Apprentice to "shake off" Succession

Kendall Roy was one of Jeremey Strong's career-defining roles, and he admitted to The Times that he questioned whether that was it for him after the show ended. However, he was determined to "achieve exit velocity" to hopefully do more acting. That said, he didn't spend "much time worrying" about it and just went for it.

His next role would be Roy Cohn in Donald Trump's biopic The Apprentice. Talking about the transition from Kendall Roy to Roy Cohn, Jeremy Strong said:

"I went right into Roy Cohn, partly to sort of shake [Succession] off."

The Sebastian Stan-starring film was released in movie theaters all over the US on October 11 after playing in some film festivals. The film, which dramatizes how young Donald Trump built his business in the 70s and 80s, also featured Roy Cohn, the infamously ruthless attorney and power broker who was Trump's mentor. Talking about the role, Jeremy Strong said:

"Roy Cohn, you can't overstate his influence in our country, his legacy of the denial of reality and certain things that he imparted to Donald Trump. His playbook has a tentacular reach that is staggering—the most fascinating person I've ever tried to inhabit."

While Jeremy Strong admits that he has a personal judgment about Cohn, he said that it's "not part of [him] that engages in the creative work."

The Apprentice, which also stars Maria Bakalova, Martin Donovan, and Catherine McNally, is now in US movie theaters. Journalist Gabriel Sherman is the writer, and the film is directed by Iranian filmmaker Ali Abbasi.