The question of who the worst person on HBO’s Succession is—which we raised in a piece ranking all those awful main characters a few weeks back—is a fluid one. The Roys and their various parasites-in-law are all awful people, so we’re typically working in a matter of degrees when it comes to assigning them their various sins. Still, it never hurts to consult an expert on such matters—and now series star Kieran Culkin has officially weighed in.
This is per an interview Culkin did with Esquire earlier this week, in which he was presented a variety of Q&As—including being, apparently, shown the headline of our piece and asked for his personal take. (And yes, since you’re asking, we do still get that “Hey, ma, I’m on the teevee!” feeling when stuff like this occurs.) More interesting than our flailing egos, though, was Culkin’s quick answer to the question of which Roy is worst, which he delivered with conviction: Alan Ruck’s Connor Roy. Here’s Culkin’s full answer, focused mostly on Connor’s relationship with his now-fiancée, Willa, played by Justine Lupe:
Connor is quite a terrifying and unpredictable man, who basically purchased a person and put her on a ranch. I don’t wanna say against her will…he created a lovely golden cage for her. And she feels trapped, and he knows it, and just, you know, says, “I’ll try to make your dreams come true.” It’s kind of actually terrifying. So, him.
Which, hey: We’re happy to see our read and Culkin’s mostly dovetail; our own ranking puts Connor just a bit below his father in terms of evilness, but it’s undeniable that his milquetoast nature belies some pretty nasty and manipulative tendencies.
Still, this is Succession: There’s always room for people to be even worse.