Saturday Night Live personality Bowen Yang shared a story about Succession star Jeremy Strong and his famous commitment to staying in character.
The Brisbane, Australia-born entertainer, 32, spoke about how he saw the 44-year-old actor – who plays Kendall Roy on the HBO hit – as he walked onto the set of Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens while he was the grumpy billionaire media heir remained in his role.
The Saturday Night Live star spoke about the encounter on his podcast Las Culturistas on Wednesday, saying Strong went to the show’s set and production office and asked for directions to the restroom.
“The last season of Nora From Queens was shot in the same studio as this season of Succession,” said Yang, who plays Edmund in the comedy. “The Nora From Queens production office was fairly close to the Succession stages and their production office, and as we all know, Jeremy Strong is a method actor.”
Yang said, “At one point, Strong went into the office and said, ‘Excuse me, do you know where the restroom is?’
The latest: Saturday Night Live personality Bowen Yang, 32, has shared a story about Succession star Jeremy Strong, 44, and his famous commitment to staying in character
“And then someone in the office says, ‘Yes, it’s just down the hall on the left.’ He says, ‘Thank you’ and leaves.’
Yang said that Strong then left and 10 minutes later a production assistant from Succession entered the office and asked for the actor’s whereabouts.
The speaker asks, “Hi, was Jeremy just here?” Yang said. “And they said, ‘Yes, he was. He went to the bathroom.” And then this PA says, “Did he ask where it is? Did he come here to ask you where the bathroom is?”
“They said, ‘Yes, why?’ and the PA says, “He has a scene today where he has to ask someone where the toilet is.”
Yang said of the actor’s dedication to his roles, “I think this is so ridiculous Method that he has to take the joke,” adding that he “agrees with the idea that Jeremy Strong has a sense of the game and the irony.”‘
Strong’s hyper-focused dedication to his craft is well documented by his success on the HBO drama series over the past five years.
In a key scene of the first season of Succession – in which his character is involved in a late-night car accident in which the vehicle he was in crashed into a lake – he had assistants douse him with ice water to reflect the reality of the accident to reinforce grumpy situation.
The show’s executive producer/director, Mark Mylod, told IndieWire in 2018 that Ice Water was poured over Strong’s head during the already grueling filming.
“I think the great thing about a physical obstacle is that you really have to put yourself in that situation, given the circumstances, and then deal with it,” Strong told the outlet.
The actor, who won the 2020 Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, continued, “So I had to go into a lake that was almost freezing in the middle of winter, and as awful as it is.”
“These things are, in a way, actually easier than, for lack of a better word, emotional work.”
Strong portrays the grumpy billionaire media heir Kendall Roy for four seasons
Strong won the 2020 Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his work on the HBO series, which concludes Sunday
Describing the routine’s physical effects, he said, “Your head is on fire and your limbs are numb, so you basically don’t have to act like that.”
“It was very scary, just letting the air out in my own lungs to the point where I just felt vulnerable and vulnerable enough that I was really in the situation and then trying to extricate myself from it .”
Strong’s focus on his craft was occasionally harshly criticized by his co-stars on creator Jesse Armstrong’s HBO hit.
Brian Cox, who plays media magnate Logan Roy on the series, called Strong’s techniques “fucking bloody annoying” in an interview with Town & Country last February.
“Don’t make me go on,” Cox said, adding of the vehicle, “It’s just there and accessible.’ It’s not a hell of a religious experience.’
Cox made it clear that he believes Strong has top-notch acting skills and doesn’t need to try too hard to achieve on-screen authenticity.
“He’s still that guy because he feels like if he went somewhere else he’d lose it.” But he won’t!’ said Cox. “Strong is talented.” He’s bloody talented. When you receive the gift, celebrate it. “Go back to your trailer and have a shot of marijuana, you know?”
In a published article by The New Yorker, published in December 2021, Cox said he was concerned about the impact Strong’s involvement was having on him personally.
“I’m just worried about what he’s doing to himself,” Cox said. “I worry about the crises he’s going through to prepare.”
Brian Cox, who plays media tycoon Logan Roy on the series, called Strong’s techniques “fucking annoying” in an interview earlier this year.
Kieran Culkin said of Strong, who plays his older brother on the show, “It’s hard for me to actually describe his process because I don’t really see it.” He puts himself in a bubble.
In the play, Kieran Culkin said of Strong, who plays his older brother on the show, “It’s hard for me to actually describe his process because I don’t actually see it.” He puts himself in a bubble.
“Jeremy put it like this: you get in the ring, shoot the scene and at the end every actor goes to their corner. I say, “This is not a fight. It’s a dance.’
Culkin, acclaimed for his portrayal of Roman Roy on the show, added, ‘That might help him.’ I can tell you it doesn’t help me.’
The series finale of Succession airs Sunday on HBO/Max.