SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not watched the Season 3 finale of HBO’s “Succession.”
And just like that, “Succession” Season 3 has come to an end. Though it didn’t feature any deaths (Peloton-related or otherwise), the Roy family has been shaken up, with some new alliances formed and trust completely broken between Logan (Brian Cox) and his children.
In the stunning final moments, Tom (Matthew Macfadyen) betrayed Shiv (Sarah Snook), Roman (Kieran Culkin) and Kendall (Jeremy Strong), jumping ship and tipping off Logan about his kids’ full-on coup for control of Waystar Royco. Tom also brought Greg (Nicholas Braun), who accepted a “deal with the devil,” along for the ride. With the Roy children scrambling for a seat at the table once the dust settled from the Waystar sale to GoJo, the only people who seemed to be safe are veteran executives Gerri (J. Smith-Cameron), Frank (Pete Friedman) and Karl (David Rasche).
In a stunning reversal from the start of the season, Gerri shut down Roman’s last-minute pleas for help, coldly saying, “I’m focused on whatever outcome best serves the financial interests of the shareholders of the company. It doesn’t serve my interests.” After the shocking dick pic ending to the penultimate episode, “Chiantishire,” the relationship between Gerri and Roman seemed to be completely done.
Here, Smith-Cameron talks to Variety about the Season 3 finale, the future of Gerri and Roman, and more.
Where do you think Gerri and Roman’s relationship goes from here?
That’s the million-dollar question. I don’t know, I’d like to think they have enough of a real connection that there’s something else coming — either they somehow make contact, even if it’s to be arch-enemies, or it takes the form of them being really furious with each other. The idea of them having a sexual relationship, from Gerri’s point of view, was always just a matter of time to get it through his head that it wasn’t going to happen. I don’t think he really wanted it to either. He’s got his weird hang-ups, and I think he would’ve been shocked if Gerri had said, “Sure, let’s go.” I feel like it was a sort of fantasy relationship and getting more and more on Gerri’s last nerve because she knew what was at stake, even before the worst possible thing that could happen happened. I feel like they were on borrowed time. I think in the meantime, they really got attached to each other. It seems like Roman’s very attached to Gerri, and the way it feels to me, Gerri is very attached to Roman in a way too. In spite of herself, he kind of got under her skin.
When was the moment you found out things were going to blow up between your characters?
I didn’t ever find out. Some of those early scenes where I’m like, “Look, I’m dating people now. You have to straighten up. We have to make this about our business relationship,” I did takes where I was more flirty with him, like, “No, no, no” instead of “Cut it out.” I could tell as I was watching the scripts come out that they were giving me more and more opportunities to say, “Cut it out. This is inappropriate.” But I did not see the writing on the wall. I didn’t know it was coming, except that I knew it was on borrowed time. I don’t think anybody on the writing staff or Kieran and I ever felt that it would be consummated, but the show’s not over yet.
What do you say to the people who were shipping Gerri and Roman together as a couple now after they fell out?
There’s something sort of, I don’t know, romantic about it still to me, because I felt like Gerri would warn him a million times and he betrayed and threatened her livelihood and safety, and she’s right to chastise him and break off from him, but I felt there was great sadness in that scene. I felt like it’s like a tragic love story, but still a love story. I’m not ruling anything out.
One of the best lines of the finale was when Greg accepts Tom’s offer and says, “What am I gonna do with a soul anyways?” Does Gerri have a soul?
I think she has a soul. On the other hand, the universe of “Succession” is depicting the whole world of big business being soulless. In that sense, none of them have souls. I think within that, she has things she will and won’t do. She’s managed to distance herself from some of the more repellant things that have happened at Waystar. She picks and chooses how far she’ll go. I’m always the one telling [Logan], “Sorry, we can’t stop the publication of a book.” The one time you see Gerri in her apartment in Season 2 — after the shooting at Waystar and the first phone sex call from Roman — she’s watching the news, and it’s Pierce News, not ATN. I think she watches the real news; she knows the difference. She compartmentalizes and has a soul and a life and daughters whom she cares for. I think that’s a common thing about human nature, people can be very moral in some ways and have a completely desensitized take on other things. Within the gang of “Succession,” I think she’s one of the more soulful people.
What discussions did you and Sarah Snook have about the scene where Gerri and Shiv discuss Roman’s sexual harassment?
Gerri is very aware that Shiv is not concerned about her #MeToo experience. She’s trying to get Gerri in trouble for not having reported it. Gerri is playing catch-up, trying to figure out what picture got sent. She’s piecing it together and doesn’t have a moment to save face or figure out a game plan before Shiv is on her, threatening to bring everybody in the company into it as a review. It’s the most vulnerable we’ve seen Gerri in the story so far. Shiv does this all the time, when she goes up to women and says, “This is your chance to assert yourself for women who are for the cause,” and she doesn’t mean it. She’s trying to manipulate them, like she does with the lady from the cruise in Season 2. I remember when we were blocking it and coming up with angles, there were these stools. When we went to do it, she offered me a seat, and I was like, “No way, I’m not sitting down with you.” I’m not that glib and at ease for once, I’m really caught off guard and in hot water and upset. I knew story-wise I had to be that upset to so dispassionately break up with Roman.
What is your take on the New Yorker profile on Jeremy Strong? “Succession” fans and people in Hollywood have been very split on it.
I feel like it’s a little rough on Jeremy, but on the other hand — according to Twitter anyway — it wasn’t what people took away from the article. It’s a lot of him being quoted verbatim, and he’s talking very seriously about his process. I think his performance speaks for itself. It seemed to me that “Succession” Twitter was like, “Bring it on, who cares if he’s eccentric?” I didn’t feel the New Yorker piece was an attack on him. I don’t know whether that’s me just being a little insensitive. I felt like it was trying to be very objective about what seemed like very extreme practices. I thought Jessica Chastain and Aaron Sorkin coming to his defense was wonderful, but I didn’t think it was really necessary because I didn’t think he was exactly maligned. It’s not a puff piece, certainly. It’s Jeremy saying in his own words what his values are and what his process is. Anyone who watches “Succession” can see he’s pretty brilliant in it. I think it’s a tempest in a teacup. I haven’t spoken to him about the article, but I think in the long run he’ll be just fine.
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