Succession star Kieran Culkin has revealed he was initially asked to audition for the part of cousin Greg in the hit show.
The actor, 39, plays Roman Roy, the son of media titan Logan Roy, in the series about the feuding family.
The role of Greg, the outsider cousin, is played by Nicholas Braun.
Hello, Gregory. pic.twitter.com/ZVjN1pI2q6
— Succession (@succession) October 28, 2021
Appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Culkin said: “They wanted me to read for cousin Greg, which I just didn’t feel right for.
“They asked me to read for Greg and I knew I was wrong, and normally in any other script, I would be like, ‘OK, I’m not right for the part. I’m going to close it, I’m not going to continue reading on.’
“But I just kind of liked the script, so I read on and I was like, ‘Oh, there’s this guy, whose first line is something I can’t say on your show.’”
He continued: “And I thought, ‘Well I kind of like this guy.
“I like the way he talks. I can do that.’
“I asked, ‘Can I audition for Roman?’
“And the response back was ‘We’re not auditioning for that part yet’.
“But I just sort of put myself on tape anyway and sent it in.
“I was like, ‘Here’s three scenes if you want to look at this.’”
Culkin went on to land the part, while Braun was cast as Greg, and Culkin said Braun was “fantastic” in his role.
A gift situation. pic.twitter.com/KOcDU82i6b
— Succession (@succession) November 5, 2021
Succession returned to HBO and Sky Atlantic for a third series last month after extended delays because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The new episodes follow the aftermath of Roman’s brother Kendall’s explosive press conference, in which he made allegations about their father’s complicity in crimes and misconduct in the company’s cruise division.