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Draft:Logan Roy

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Logan Roy
Succession character
First appearance"Celebration" (2018)
Last appearance"With Open Eyes" (2023)
Created byJesse Armstrong
Portrayed byBrian Cox
In-universe information
Title
  • CEO of Waystar RoyCo (season 1-3)
  • Chairman of Waystar RoyCo (season 3-4)
OccupationBusinessman
AffiliationWaystar RoyCo
Family
  • Helen Roy (mother)
  • Ewan Roy (brother)
  • Rose Roy (sister)
  • Tom Wambsgams (son-in-law)
Spouse
  • Unnamed first wife (divorced)
  • Caroline Collingwood (divorced)
  • Marcia Roy (estranged)
Children
  • Connor Roy (son)
  • Kendall Roy (son)
  • Roman Roy (son)
  • Siobhan "Shiv" Roy (daughter)
Relatives
  • Greg Hirsch (grand-nephew)
  • Noah (uncle)
OriginDundee, Scotland
NationalityScottish-American

Logan Roy is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the American HBO satirical dark comedy-drama television series Succession. He is portrayed by Brian Cox and was created by showrunner Jesse Armstrong. Armstrong initially conceived the series as a feature film about the Murdoch family. He later decided to create a new script centered on original characters, with Logan being loosely based on Rupert Murdoch.

Logan Roy is the billionaire founder of media and entertainment conglomerate Waystar RoyCo and the patriarch of the Roy family. He is a brash leader who primarily focuses on his company rather than his four children Connor, Kendall, Roman and Siobhan. He is distrustful of his children and his subordinates, refusing to step down as CEO at the start of the series despite his advanced age. His conflicts with his family, his employees at Waystar, other businesses, and the United States Department of Justice form the central storyline of the series.

The character and Brian Cox's performance has been critically acclaimed, and has been cited as one of the best villains and characters in television. For his performance, Cox won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series and was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series.

Development

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Casting and creation

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“"I don't defend Logan in any way. One of the jobs as an actor is we cannot judge our characters. He is a misanthrope [who] is very disappointed with the human experiment."

—Brian Cox

Logan Roy's character was heavily influenced both by powerful real-world figures and prior performances in Shakespearean dramas by Cox.[1][2] Opposite to his children privileged upbringing, Logan comes from a working-class background, with Cox describing him as coming from "a different generation and has a different set of values."[3] Cox has noted that portraying Logan gave him the habit of frequently using profanity in his everyday life.[4] In contrast to the vigorous routine done by his co-star Jeremy Strong, Cox has dismissed the concept of method acting in preparation for his roles, calling it "bollocks."[5]

Characterization

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Cox described Logan Roy as a "Mysterious character in many ways. I have a lot of empathy for him. I think he’s very misunderstood. I think he’s a tragic figure", and compared him to Shakespeare's tragic kings, such as Henry IV. "Obviously there’s Lear connotations, but it’s also the father dealing with a child in his son Hal and not understanding him."[3] David Rasche, who plays Karl Muller, suggested to Jesse Armstrong that his character became a confessor to Logan, "But I don’t think Jesse wanted that. Jesse wanted Logan Roy, a man alone."[6] Cox thinks of Logan as "quite Puritan [...] Logan’s a bastard, but he’s not an indecent bastard." [7] On Logan's romantic relationships he has said "He clearly loves Marcia. There’s this idea that he had this affair with Rhea, but I’m not sure that happened. Both Holly [Hunter] and I felt that hadn’t actually happened, [...] The kids thinking they were having an affair was more them projecting",[7] but also added that "he’s not good at relationships at all. The female relationships in his life have been pretty disastrous". By the final season Cox noted that, Colin and Kerry, Logan's bodyguard and assistant respectively, were "the two people who matter to him most."[3]

Character biography

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Early life

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Logan Roy's early life is elaborated in an animation made for the episode Dundee that was eventually cut and replaced by a scene where Kendall performs a rap song exalting his father.[8] Roy was born in Dundee, Scotland in 1938, in a working class family. His father passed away from a brain hemorrhage several years later. During World War 2, he was sent with his older brother Ewan to live with his uncle Noah in Quebec. In the episode "Church and State," Ewan recalls in a eulogy that during the journey, the two brothers were stranded at sea after their ship's engines had failed. Fearing attacks by German submarines, the two did not speak or move for three days.[9] While Logan was enrolled at a boarding school, his baby sister, Rose, arrived to Canada. After falling ill and returning home, Rose died of polio, which would cause immense guilt for the rest of Logan's life as he believed he was responsible. In the episode "Austerlitz," he claims that Noah was physically abusive towards him throughout his childhood, which is indicated by scars across Logan's back.

Appearances

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Season 1

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During his 80th birthday, Logan announces that he will remain CEO indefinitely, and asks his children to sign documents that will give his wife Marcia two seats on the company's board. During a helicopter flight, he suffers from a heart attack and his admitted to a hospital. Marcia later brings him to his residence, but forbids his children from seeing him.

Season 2

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Season 3

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Season 4

On the plane to meet Mattson, Logan suffers a heart attack and dies in the company of Tom, during Connor's wedding.

Following his death, Logan appears posthumously in two recordings- the first for the assisted living community Living+ and the second an archival recording of a dinner party with his employees and Connor, of which his children Kendall, Roman, and Shiv become emotional upon viewing.

Reception

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Accolades

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Cox's performance in the role has received massive acclaim from critics, having won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama in 2020,[10][11] as well as a nomination for the same award in 2022, losing to series co-star Jeremy Strong.[12] He has also received nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2020, 2022, and 2024,[13] the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series in 2022,[14] the Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards for Best Actor in a Broadcast Network or Cable Series, Drama in 2022,[15] and the Satellite Award for Best Actor – Television Series Drama in 2020 and 2022.[16][17]

Critical reception

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In an AV Club review of the episode "Which Side Are You On?", Cox's portrayal of Logan is described as "Trumpian" and "steals the scene."[18]

Many critics drew comparisons between Logan and the Shakespearean character of King Lear.[19][20][21]

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References

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  1. ^ Kinney, Fergal (2023-05-28). "How Succession created TV's first irredeemable leading man". New Statesman. Retrieved 2023-09-02.
  2. ^ Gross, Terry (18 January 2022). "'Succession' actor Brian Cox can't defend Logan Roy, but he can relate to him". NPR.
  3. ^ a b c McHenry, Jackson (April 9, 2023). "Brian Cox Is Happy You Know That About Logan Roy Now "I've never been able to keep secrets."". Vulture.
  4. ^ Garvey, Marianne (2022-08-26). "'Succession' star Brian Cox says playing Logan Roy has had a 'terrible effect' on him". CNN. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
  5. ^ Olszowska, Lara (2024-04-15). "Brian Cox: Joaquin Phoenix was terrible in Napoleon and I would have played it better". Evening Standard. Retrieved 2024-04-17.
  6. ^ Hadadi, Roxana (May 5, 2023). "Succession's David Rasche Says Karl Has Never Been Angrier at Kendall". Vulture.
  7. ^ a b Harris, Hunter (October 14, 2019). "Brian Cox Knows Exactly Why Logan Smiled in Succession's Shocking Finale". Vulture.
  8. ^ "Succession". Augenblick Studios Inc. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
  9. ^ Zoller Seitz, Matt. "'I Told My Assistant, "They're Gonna Fire Me"' James Cromwell feared his scene-stealing Succession eulogy would end his career". Vulture. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
  10. ^ Hogan, Michael (2020-01-06). "Brian Cox's rise to power: how a penniless boy from Dundee became TV's favourite billionaire". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2023-09-01.
  11. ^ Howard, Kimberly Nordyke,Jennifer Konerman,Annie; Nordyke, Kimberly; Konerman, Jennifer; Howard, Annie (2019-12-09). "Golden Globes: Full List of Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-09-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. ^ Swift, Andy (2022-01-10). "Golden Globes 2022: Succession and Hacks Lead TV Winners, Pose's Michaela Jaé Rodriguez Makes History". TVLine. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
  13. ^ "Succession". Television Academy. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
  14. ^ Mitovich, Matt Webb (2022-03-14). "Critics Choice: Ted Lasso, Succession Lead TV's Big Winners; Squid Game and Yellowjackets Among First-Timers". TVLine. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
  15. ^ Petski, Denise (2022-07-07). "'This Is Us', 'Succession', 'Severance', 'Ted Lasso' Lead 2022 HCA TV Nominations". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
  16. ^ "2019 Winners | International Press Academy". Retrieved 2023-09-17.
  17. ^ "2021 Winners | International Press Academy". Retrieved 2023-09-17.
  18. ^ "Kendall takes his shot on a thrilling Succession". The A.V. Club. 2019-07-27. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
  19. ^ Winch, Meghan (2023-05-30). "'Succession's Shakespeare References Go Back to the Very Beginning". Collider. Retrieved 2024-08-03.
  20. ^ Garber, Megan (2023-05-26). "The 400-Year-Old Tragedy That Captures Our Chaos". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2024-08-03.
  21. ^ Means, Benjamin (2024-04-19). "Logan Roy as King Lear: How Not to Succeed". DePaul Law Review. 73 (3): 921. ISSN 0011-7188.
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