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Succession’s Brian Cox Chooses Which Other Character He’d Play Besides Logan Roy: ‘He’s So Complicated’ (Exclusive)

He ate his f–king chicken after all. Brian Cox has won accolades for his portrayal of expletive-throwing patriarch Logan Roy on HBO’s Succession since 2018 — but if the show debuted years ago, another character would have piqued his interest.

‘Succession’ Family Guide

“I think if I was younger, I think Tom would be an interesting character to play,” the Scotland native, 76, exclusively told Us Weekly while promoting his Michelob Ultra 2023 Super Bowl commercial. “Because he’s so complicated and so driven, because of his relationship with my horrible daughter and how she treats him. And his innocence because he’s from Wisconsin, so he’s very sort of — he’s a country boy at heart. And it’s a very good role.”

Succession's Brian Cox Chooses Which Other Character He'd Play Besides Logan Roy- 'He's So Complicated' -473
Graeme Hunter/HBO

He added: “And of course, brilliantly played by Matthew Macfadyen. Absolutely brilliantly. So of all the roles, that would be the most interesting one if I was, you know, 40 years younger.”

Logan and Macfadyen’s Tom Wambsgans are seemingly new allies following the masterful season 3 finale, which aired in December 2021. In the gut-punch “All the Bells Say” episode, Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Shiv (Sarah Snook) and Roman Roy (Kieran Culkin) have a showdown with dad Logan as they attempt to overthrow him and his decision to sell their family’s media corporation Waystar Royco to tech giant Gojo.

Succession's Brian Cox Chooses Which Other Character He'd Play Besides Logan Roy- 'He's So Complicated' -472
Graeme Hunter/HBO

Spoiler alert: they were too late.

But that wasn’t even the biggest betrayal. In a Shakespearean cut-throat shot, which went viral as the credits rolled, Logan gently pats Tom’s shoulder when he shows up, solidifying that Tom gave Logan a heads-up when Shiv told him her plan to ambush her dad. Tom, often disregarded by his wife, comforts her as she sits stunned over his disloyalty.

‘Succession’ Season 4: Everything to Know

Following the deception, audiences quickly revisited one particular variation of a season 3 promo poster, which placed Logan, Tom and Cousin Greg (Nicholas Braun) on one side of a hallway as they squared off against the siblings — a clear hidden in plain sight reveal about what would take place by the season’s end.

Succession's Brian Cox Chooses Which Other Character He'd Play Besides Logan Roy- 'He's So Complicated' -474
Graeme Hunter/HBO

The Roy family’s drama will continue as the Emmy Award-winning series returns next month. In a recent trailer, Logan and Tom’s budding work partnership is evident.

“I’m sure we’ll iron it all out. But what would happen … ” Tom trails off in the teaser.

Logan chimes in: “If you and Shiv were to bust up?”

“We’ll always be good, right?” Tom asks.

‘Succession’ Cast’s Dating Histories 

“If we’re good,” Logan replies, “We’re good.”

For Cox, it was always “a no-brainer” to join the cast. “I’m not drawn to particular characters. More or less, they’re drawn to me,” he told Us, laughing. “So Logan Roy, he came about because they wanted me to do it. And I read it and I thought, ‘This is a great show. I mean, this is gonna be a unique show.’ … And especially the standard of writing [with creator] Jesse Armstrong. It’s a pretty high standard. It’s joyous.”

Succession’s next installment will debut on HBO Sunday, March 26, at 9 p.m. ET.

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