Hugo's 'Woof, Woof' Line In Succession Came With Some Comical Alternatives While Filming
This article contains spoilers for the finale of "Succession."
The fourth and final season of "Succession" really laid in just what a scumbag Hugo Baker (Fisher Stevens) is. Of course, you have to be one if you're going to climb the ladder at a cesspool like Waystar Royco — in fact, Hugo's motivation throughout the season is to stay near the company's top. With the impending acquisition of Waystar by the tech giant GoJo, Hugo looks redundant; his boss, Head of Communications Karolina (Dagmara Dominczyk), is all too happy throwing him to the wolves and Hugo is included on GoJo's "Kill List" of the Waystar C-Suite.
This is why during the season, Hugo becomes the go-to lackey for Kendall (Jeremy Strong) — Hugo's place in the company is contingent on the Roy scion keeping control of Waystar. In the penultimate episode, "Church and State," Kendall makes their alliance, and unequal power dynamic, official with the following offer:
"You know, Hugo, life isn't nice. It's contingent. People who say they love you also f*** you. So this is an explicit plan to f*** the deal. Me, rule the world. And you can come. But it won't be a collaboration, Okay? You'll be my dog. But the scraps from the table will be millions. Millions. Happy?"
Hugo's unblinking response? "Woof, woof." Every man has his price and Hugo knows the scraps of a billionaire are an above-market asking price for his dignity. Speaking to Insider, Fisher Stevens revealed that while Hugo's response was scripted, he also ad-libbed variations for the many takes of the moment they shot.
Barking up some alternatives
According to Stevens, he "barked in some form" across the many versions of the moment they shot: "It might have been "bow wow," at some point." That phrase is another onomatopoeia for a dog barking; there's a nursery rhyme that includes the phrase "the dog goes bow wow." That line carries the same intent as "woof, woof," though it's not quite as obvious.
Stevens gives series creator and "Church and State" writer Jesse Armstrong "full credit" for the beat. However, there was one take where Stevens got to cut loose. According to him, in that take, Hugo answered Kendall's offer with, "Bow-wow-wow, yippie-yo, yippie-yay." That's a line from the rap song "Bow Wow (That's My Name)" by Lil' Bow Wow and Snoop Dogg (it's a track on the 2000 album, "Beware of Dog"), which samples "Atomic Dog" by George Clinton. Kendall is a Hip-Hop head, so he might've appreciated the reference, but that line just isn't the right fit for the scene. It's too long and exuberant when Hugo is being sardonic. Stevens agrees: "'Woof, woof' is much better. I'm glad Jesse didn't use that. That was my bad idea."
Hugo, though, turns out to have made the wrong call allying with Kendall. In the series finale, "With Open Eyes," the acquisition goes through and Kendall has the Waystar throne permanently ripped away from him. Hugo is last seen trying to schmooze his way into Team GoJo, but it's obvious that his exit package has already been sent. Hugo may have the subservience of a dog, but he lacks the loyalty of one. In any case, he probably won't get a chance to bark up his new master's tree before he's let out of the house.
"Succession" is streaming on Max.