The stars are aligning for “Succession” actor Jeremy Strong, as they continue to gather in support and praise of him in the wake of Michael Schulman’s “distorted: New Yorker profile, with celebs like Anne Hathaway and Adam McKay calling the Emmy and SAG Award-winner on his “powerful intelligence and extraordinary sensitivity.”
Strong was the subject of a lengthy and revealing New Yorker profile earlier this week that dug deep into his biography and career… and also provoked astonishingly intense, heavily divided reactions from Strong’s fans and friends, with some even declaring the profile a hit piece.
Brian Cox, who plays Strong’s father on the HBO series, appeared on “Late Night With Seth Meyers” and was asked his thoughts about what was said in The New Yorker piece.
“The thing about Jeremy’s approach is it works in terms of what comes out the other end,” Cox told Meyers. “He’s an extraordinary dad. He’s a pretty unique individual. But, he does get obsessed with the work. And I worry about what it does to him, because if you can’t separate yourself — because you’re dealing with all of this material every day. You can’t live in it. Eventually, you get worn out.”
Cox continued, using Daniel Day-Lewis as an example. “Daniel Day-Lewis got worn out at 55 and decided to retire because [he] couldn’t go on doing that every day,” Cox said. “It’s too consuming. And I do worry about it. But the result — what everyone says about Jeremy — the result is always extraordinary and excellent.”
A New Yorker spokesperson said of the story’s criticism, “This is a nuanced, multi-sided portrait of an extremely dedicated actor. It has inspired a range of reactions from people, including many who say that they are even more impressed by Jeremy Strong’s artistry after having read the article.”
Actress Anne Hathaway posted a photo on Instagram Saturday of Strong holding his “Succession” Emmy with the caption, “As the week ends, I would like to send some love to Jeremy Strong who I’m lucky enough to have worked with twice and who I am proud to consider a friend. I deeply value his qualities of thoughtfulness, sincerity, authenticity, sweetness, depth, kindness, generosity, as well as his powerful intelligence and extraordinary sensitivity.”
“[Jeremy] is an incredibly talented and inventive artist who is fully engaged and committed on set, as well as a passionate, open person in life,” Hathaway continued. “I find all of these things inspiring. (oh, and he’s fun.) Anyway he and the entire cast crushed this season of @succession (for the record, the work is where the story begins and ends for me.) Congrats to them all and bring on the finale!”
Writer and Director Adam McKay leveraged an in-depth response from Aaron Sorkin, who posted via Jessica Chastain’s Twitter account a lengthy response to Schulman’s story in which he accuses Schulman of painting a “distorted picture of Jeremy that asks us to roll our eyes at his acting process.”
McKay tweeted Saturday, “I couldn’t agree more. Jeremy is not only a lovely guy but a brilliant actor who was cast in Succession precisely because of his passion the New Yorker writer mocks.”
Chastain herself also jumped to Strong’s defense, tweeting, “I’ve known Jeremy Strong for 20years & worked with him on 2 films. Hes a lovely person. Very inspiring & passionate about his work. The profile that came out on him was incredibly one sided. Don’t believe everything you read folks. Snark sells but maybe its time we move beyond it.”
Actor Vincent D’Onofrio also had nothing but positive things to say about Strong.
“Jeremy Strong has become one of our best actors,” he wrote on Twitter. “The process in which to create art can be extremely delicate. Some times harsh. I believe servicing a story is an actors job. An art, the process to achieve it. Always evolving. We must respect it. There’s no harm in that process.”
“Succession” Season 3’s final episode drops Sunday night on HBO and HBO Max. Here is the latest episode recapped.
