Q. Do you feel the success of Succession is partly due to a cultural shift that questions, and often ridicules, virtues and politically correct morality?
There is an element of that. It is a morality tale, Chaucerian in its ambition, and reflects the mores of the time. We are living in ludicrous times the rise of the right, the idiocy of Boris Johnson and Donald Trump, the ridiculousness of Vladimir Putin; and, in India, the move towards radical Hinduism, which is actually the opposite of what Hinduism is about. The zeitgeist of the time creates a show as extraordinary as ours.
Q. As someone playing a patriarch on the show, do you think it is imperative that children outshine parents in terms of achievements?
The demands Logan makes of his children is for them to be who they are and develop their abilities in certain areas. Like the whole bit when he says “you have to be a killer” (in season 2, which airs in India on Star World). It’s not necessarily a good thing. But it’s a survival mechanism that helps you in that world where one kills or is killed.
Q. Like Logan Roy, you too come from a humble background in Dundee, Scotland.
I had a blissful childhood until my father died when I was eight and then my mother got very ill. Danny Huston (fellow actor on the show) wanted to know my background. So I took a few of them to the spots of my childhood to show them the contrast. I’ve had a strong link to my city and kept in contact with it. It is very important to be reminded of where you come from.
Q. Everyone is watching Succession. What are you watching?
I am fascinated by The Crown and its humanity. [The characters] are beset by tradition and the ancillary elements shoring up monarchy. But, ultimately, they are humans who make sacrifices and have ambitions. Peter Morgan has done an amazing job.
Q. Your interest in history was showcased in documentaries such as Addicted to Pleasure and Brian Cox’s Jute Journey. Do you plan to make more of such documentaries?
Jute Journey came to me when I was in Calcutta in the 1980s and watching barges with jute on the Hooghly. I noticed many of them were from mills from Dundee, which made me think about the journey of jute. I want to tell intrinsic truths, which documentaries can help do.
Q. Logan Roy is an unscrupulous and unrepentant media magnate. What is Brian Cox’s opinion on the role of media in a democracy?
When you look at what goes on in the US with Fox News, you realise how warped and difficult it is for the proper news media to reflect the state of affairs. The media needs to maintain its integrity, which sometimes goes on a walkabout.
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