A career in three acts: The roles that define Jeremy Strong
After an extensive profile in the New Yorker, Jeremy Strong explained the seriousness with which he takes his craft, likening the care and sense of responsibility that he feels towards his own life as he did towards his character in Succession.
His portrayal of Kendall Roy has been described as one of the greatest performances of all time, displaying a forensic and incisive understanding of interiority and psychiatry and, above all, a burning desire to constantly push himself to the absolute limits in the pursuit of perfection. It isn’t enough to simply play a character – for Strong, it has to be all-consuming or nothing. The art of acting is a serious business, and you can feel the weight of this self-imposed pressure in the way he talks about his craft.
Some people have mocked his flowery vocabulary and almost grave sincerity when discussing his work, but it baffles me that earnestness and passion have become laughable qualities. Why is it that we no longer appreciate people who try? People who commit every fibre of their being towards something that they love? It’s a troublingly common occurrence, and one that slowly works to undermine the importance of creativity as a whole, making light of its impact and necessity in an increasingly divided world that relies on its unifying qualities.
Strong is one of those rare performers that isn’t afraid to show how much he cares, digging into new wells of emotion within himself and bringing an extraordinary level of vulnerability and fluid-like precision to every role. He can make you pity even the most debased and irredeemable characters, imbuing life into tortured souls and creating a miraculous sense of compassion for people we wouldn’t normally deem worthy of this.
Whether it be his portrayal of Roh Cohn, Jerry Rubin or Vinny Daniel, Strong has been relentless in his pursuit of greatness, with a sensitivity that glimmers underneath his stoic intensity, revealing the soft interiority of someone who is utterly and completely in love with what they do, and unable to forget it.
The roles that define Jeremy Strong:
The Big Short (Adam Mckay, 2015)
If it hadn’t been for Strong’s performance in The Big Short, then he perhaps might not have been cast on Succession, with the actor meeting Jesse Armstrong during the production of the political drama. Mckay is known for his biting satires and fast-paced narratives, creating a dizzying effect as you whip between a tapestry of catastrophic failures that paint a sobering portrait of economic/global collapse.
However, his 2015 film is one of the most biting from his body of work, with Strong joining a fast-talking cast of New York brokers and wall-street bankers who profited from an economic catastrophe. While it is a supporting role, Strong once again flexes his creative fluidity as he morphs into a sleazy finance bro, adapting to the mannerisms of somebody who doesn’t possess an ounce of moral fibre. It couldn’t be more different to his soft-natured persona in real life, showcasing the shapeshifting ability of an actor who is never deterred by unlikeable characters and instead, finds a thrill in fleshing out the dirtiest hidden corners of people who are generally hated.
Succession (Jesse Armstrong, 2018-2023)
Succession is a once-in-a-lifetime masterpiece that I feel genuinely grateful to have been alive to witness, with the show being described as a Shakespearian drama about a wealthy family who control a media conglomerate. There are vague allusions to real-life figures that may have inspired the desperately flailing siblings, but the cast brings their own razor-sharp insights and instincts to each character, fleshing out the sordid desires of people with an abundance of power but the absence of love.
While Sarah Snook, Kieran Culkin and Brian Cox give breathtaking performances, you could argue that Strong’s character of Kendall Roy is the main protagonist in the series, with the story opening with his rallying cry as he eagerly eyes the coveted role of Waystar CEO.
Strong exceeds genius and elevates his performance into a whole other realm of devotion and innovation that I have simply never seen before. While the cast would improvise certain conversations, you can feel the thought that went into every decision without ever feeling forced or rehearsed. He infuses humanity into a tortured soul that we would otherwise hate, making our hearts drop as we watch his steady decline while also finding humour in the most unexpected places. It is this contrast between his own unawareness and self-obsession that makes for such a captivating performance, capturing the essence of a wounded boy trapped inside a man with nothing but money, but so desperately yearns for a family.
The Apprentice (Ali Abbasi, 2024)
While I loved Kieran Culkin’s performance in A Real Pain, I cannot help but feel that Strong was robbed of his Academy Award at the 2025 event. He plays the infamous Roy Cohn in Ali Abbasi’s The Apprentice, following the complicated lifelong friendship between Donald Trump and the cut-throat lawyer. Cohn is abrasively egotistical initially, with an aggressive fake tan and languid yet violent way of talking that paints the perfect portrait of someone who has become deluded by their own power. He thinks of himself as being invincible, immune to regular rules and forces of nature that might strike the everyday New Yorker.
However, as the film goes on, Cohn begins his slow decline to obsoletion, desperately clutching to the bones of his status as his health deteriorates and everyone around him isolates him. Strong will shatter your heart with his performance, adding a sense of boyish innocence and fragility as we watch this undoubtedly dishonourable man being ostracised by the society he spent his whole life serving. It’s difficult to watch, seeing the excruciating downfall of someone who is loved by nobody and used by everyone. It encapsulates the self-serving greed of Trump’s social circle and the wealthy elite, continuing to take from a ghostly shell of a man who has nothing left to give.
