A look at Kieran Culkin’s acting career on the road to succession

Oh, the Romans.

Even if Succession can’t go on forever, who else wants the parade of romano-risms to go on forever? Kieran Culkin brings such poetry to lines like “We do roller coasters and speak hate” and “Hey, hey, mommies!”

Which is why, despite originally being called in to play Cousin Greg, who politely stumbles over every word, Kieran asked to try Roman, who — at least initially — is everything speak.

“I liked his voice, and I liked him a lot,” the two-time Emmy nominee recalled on Los Angeles Times podcast Envelope in February “Almost every line was like, I totally get who this guy is, and that almost never happens. But I can’t say exactly what it is.”

His personal connection to crooked, wounded Roman (“I’m still trying to find a therapist,” he said) was ready when the call came, years of quietly honing his acting skills in roles that required a certain jaded but sensitive, a sarcastic yet intellectual affect with a touch of nervous energy.