Nicholas Braun Knew Succession Season 3 Was Important For Greg's Evolution
One of the best shows on television, "Succession," is almost back with its fourth season premiering on March 26th, and all of us, from the Conheads to the Kendall Roy apologists are anxiously waiting for its return. It's a scathing piece of satire, highlighting how the rich and elite expand their influence through the corruption of media and politics. The HBO show perfectly captures the current American moment, but it also serves up — arguably, more compelling than the satire — a brilliant dysfunctional family drama.
As he weakens from his old age and growing health issues, Logan Roy's (Brian Cox) children — Connor (Alan Ruck), Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Shiv (Sarah Snook), and Roman (Kieran Culkin) — are all looking to be the heir of Waystar RoyCo. And in the middle of it all, there's the naive little Cousin Greg (Nicholas Braun). As Greg, Braun has all the devoid-of-swag cadence to convince the audience he's an ignorant party, but the minute he makes a deal with Shiv's husband Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfayden) and declares "souls are boring," one realizes there's more than meets the eye.
Right under our noses, Greg has evolved from the nobody in his obscenely rich and toxic family to a confident natural at playing "the game." In an interview last June with The A.V. Club, Braun spoke about how "Succession" creator Jesse Armstrong and the writers found this natural evolution for Greg and said he knew season 3 was going to be pivotal for the character.
Greg's disarming aloofness even works on Logan
After the interviewer remarked to Nicholas Braun that Greg became more confident and sure of himself in season 3, the 34-year-old American actor agreed: "I think he does too. That was one of our goals for this season, to figure out how Greg confidently takes shape within this world. I think the scene with Logan in episode 4 when he gives him the rum and coke is quite an initiation. To be valued by Logan enough to be brought in gave him a vote of confidence." Braun has also noted how they paid attention to Greg's physical appearance as season 3 went along.
In a season where the Roy children started waging war against their father, the opportunistic parasites that they are, Tom and Greg began to take advantage of the situation by trying to make deals with Logan. The "Succession" season 3 scene Braun points out is especially poignant because it is one of the first times Greg is recognized by Logan in a way that is dignified. Greg has such a way of disarming people with his aloofness that he is able to break down their walls, and with Logan, it's especially effective.
"It was also exciting to do a one-on-one scene with Brian [Cox, who plays Logan]. I was looking forward to it for weeks," Braun said. "Greg is trying to get something real out of Logan, and Brian just presents a strong wall while I just keep letting it all out."
Boo, souls!
The second season of "Succession" famously ended with Kendall Roy publicly declaring his war against Logan. For a while in season 3, Greg is his only sympathizer. It's a testament to how the power dynamics of the show are so unpredictable and ever-moving that by the end of it, Greg and Tom are the ones coming out on top against the Roy children. Nicholas Braun touched upon what Greg went through in season 3:
"Even in episode 6, a.k.a. the 'pick your president' episode, Logan keeps him in a tight circle. Greg is brought into the small room of deciders. It's adding stuff like this that Jesse [Armstrong] and I felt helped bolster Greg's currency. I think he was put through a lot of s**t this year: the threat of a jail sentence, the loss of his inheritance, and sacrificing his friendship with Kendall. It wasn't hazing but he got kind of dragged through s**t and we decided he comes out stronger."
Going into season 4, Cousin Greg is one of the most dynamic characters on "Succession." It's incredibly easy to overlook just how much of a threat he truly is because of how naturally silly and dorky Braun plays him — it feels sporadic, but it's all very purposeful. Previously an outsider to the excessive life of the filthy rich, Cousin Greg's arc from grifter to Logan Roy's lapdog is a perfect example of how money and power corrupt. Once you get your taste of affluence, souls become boring.