Editor’s be aware: The following comprises some spoilers for Season 4 of Succession.In Season 4 of the HBO collection Succession, Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård) has been unpredictable and chaotic, and on account of enjoying by his personal guidelines, he’s heightened the stress between the Roy youngsters whereas nonetheless all the time managing to be a step forward, making everybody round them surprise how the sale of the Waystar Royco company will in the end play out. Complicated and charismatic in equal elements, Matsson is excessively wealthy in a means that offers him the higher hand, however that additionally all the time makes it really feel like he’ll be the reason for his personal demise.
During this 1-on-1 interview with Collider, Skarsgård talked about becoming a member of Succession for what he thought would simply be a few episodes in Season 3, the one different time he’s mentioned sure to a undertaking earlier than studying the script, the present’s spectacular writing, how he reacted to Matsson’s penchant for sending frozen blood bricks to an ex, loving each second of his work with Sarah Snook (who performs Shiv Roy), and that Matsson will get what he deserves.
Collider: You appear to be having probably the most enjoyable on TV with this character.
ALEXANDER SKARSGARD: Oh, my God, yeah. It’s not an exaggeration. I don’t know if I’ve ever had a lot enjoyable on a set earlier than. It’s been such a deal with.
When you began with this function, do you know that he can be enjoying such an vital a part of the ultimate season? Did you simply assume you’d be doing what you probably did in Season 3, or do you know he’d come again, even in case you didn’t know it will be the final season?
SKARSGARD: No. I used to be such a fan of Jesse Armstrong’s. I used to be such a fan, from again within the day, when he did Peep Show and In the Loop. Ten years in the past, they referred to as from Lars von Trier’s workplace and requested if I wished to be in Melancholia. That was the primary time I mentioned sure, earlier than studying the script. I used to be similar to, “Yeah, I’m in. I don’t really care what it is that you want me to do. I’ll just come.” My dad had labored with Lars many instances, and I knew what a tremendous expertise that had been, and I used to be such an admirer of his work. It’s uncommon to say sure earlier than studying a script. [Succession] was the same state of affairs, the place they reached out. My agent referred to as and mentioned, “It’s for the show Succession, but it’s only supposed to be two episodes, so maybe it’s not muscular enough and substantial enough to do it.” But I simply mentioned sure, instantly. I used to be like, “I’ve got an opportunity to be on a set with Jesse Armstrong.”
I used to be such a fan of the present. I may inform how a lot enjoyable the actors have been having on set. It simply regarded like an actual dream. So, it was the second time, after Melancholia, the place I simply principally mentioned sure. It was imagined to be two episodes, but it surely ended up being three. It was imagined to be just some scenes, and that was it. But then, contemplating how Season 3 ended, there was a chance to probably come again, however contractually, we have been performed and that was gonna be it. I didn’t hear something. I didn’t know something. And then, Jesse referred to as, in the beginning of final yr, when he was placing collectively the writers’ room for Season 4. He requested if I had any curiosity in coming again, and naturally, I wished to return again. It was such a pleasure engaged on the present final yr. So, he broadly defined the storyline and pitched the thought. And then, on the finish of it, he mentioned, “Oh, and by the way, maybe there might also be an ex-girlfriend that Lukas keeps sending frozen blood bricks,” and my coronary heart simply melted once I heard that. I used to be like, “This is gorgeous. This is delicious. I can’t wait to shoot this.”
I used to be fairly interested in the entire frozen blood brick state of affairs as a result of it’s such a surprising throw-away second. Was all of that scripted? Did you improvise any of that? How did you even get by means of the scene?
SKARSGARD: There’s undoubtedly room to improvise on the present. There are a few moments with Tom and Greg, in episode seven, the place we improvised a bit. But the factor is, the writing is so spectacular. The means Jesse and the opposite writers assemble the dialogue is the way in which you communicate. Quite a lot of it’s stop-and-start. You begin a thought, after which perhaps you don’t finish it or full it, and also you go in a distinct route and segue means into one thing else, and you then digress. That scene with Sarah [Snook] was verbatim, the way in which it was scripted, even right down to the dot-dot-dots between once I’m stuttering or stopping. It was such a superbly written scene, and enjoying it was an actual deal with. Sarah is so phenomenal. Her response to this outlandish factor that he’s telling her, and the way it was a joke, after which it wasn’t a joke, after which it turned a joke once more, and now it’s in bizarre, creepy territory once more, was so disturbing and so rewarding. I liked each second of it.
Why do you assume he determined to inform Shiv, particularly, about that? Was that very calculated for him, or is he shocked that he shared that, in that second?
SKARSGARD: He’s additionally on the level the place he’s testing the waters a bit and feeling her out. He doesn’t actually know her. He’s clearly a predator and a ruthless businessman, however a part of his genius is that he can see that there’s one thing, some animosity, between the siblings. There is likely to be a chance the place he can transfer in and pounce on Shiv, and create a wedge between the siblings, or if it’s already there, he can develop it a bit. So, at this level, he additionally genuinely wants some recommendation and he’s confiding in her. He’s like, “What do you do? Get some PR people on the case, and they’ll figure it out?” She says, “Definitely don’t send more blood.” That’s a very good level, undoubtedly. No extra blood must be taken. He undoubtedly wants some recommendation as a result of he’s not all the time tremendous savvy in the case of the person-to-person stuff. He additionally desires to see what she’s fabricated from.
What do you assume that type of habits, generally, says about him?
SKARSGARD: He’s terribly eccentric, and there’s one thing so idiosyncratic about it. What’s so scrumptious about it and enjoying it’s that it’s humorous, but in addition creepy. Not solely with the blood bricks, however rather a lot about Matsson oscillates between creepy and humorous, and typically just a little charming and boyish, after which menacing and bizarre. It’s a territory that’s been a lot enjoyable to exist in, for a few months.
Part of what makes what Matsson does so insane is that it’s often a severe dialog, but it surely’s about one thing wild.
SKARSGARD: Sometimes, it’s like, “Oh, by the way…,” and it’s one thing tremendous vital, however he’ll deal with it as if it’s one thing trivial and that it will likely be advantageous. There are dangerous numbers in India that would destroy the entire firm, and destroy the entire deal, and blow all of it up, however yeah, it’ll be advantageous. We’ll determine it out.
It additionally appears like a enjoyable little nod to you having been on True Blood and present on HBO earlier than, whenever you get into that bizarre territory about blood bricks.
SKARSGARD: Yeah, there’s undoubtedly just a little alternative to learn into the chance that it might be a nod to the great outdated vampire days.
What do you most take pleasure in about attending to convey a few of Matsson’s individuals into this, and having that distinction between his cohorts versus the Roys cohorts?
SKARSGARD: It’s such a collision. They’re so completely different. It was a number of enjoyable to play with the power that we are available in with. It’s like, “We’re here to party.” And additionally visually, we selected a loopy peacocky golden jacket that he in all probability purchased in Japan for $60,000. Visually, it was such a pleasant distinction to the monochromatic finance world. And then, with all of the power between him and Ebba and Oscar, they roll in like three-hand grenades. It was tremendously enjoyable to simply bulldoze our means into that celebration.
This is certainly a type of characters that you just’re intrigued by, and you then’re repelled by him, and you then’re drawn in once more as a result of he is likely to be enjoyable at a celebration, however then he simply says one thing actually inappropriate. If he have been an actual individual, and he’s so just like so many actual individuals, is he somebody that you just’d like, or is he somebody that will simply be enjoyable to look at, however that you just wouldn’t wish to hang around with?
SKARSGARD: I believe I’d be, at arm’s size, amused by him. I’d want to micro-dose Lukas Matsson as a result of it’s rather a lot. It’s a tsunami of power and eccentricity, however he’s a very good time. I wouldn’t thoughts going out for a few drinks with Lukas Matsson. I believe that will be fairly entertaining as a result of he’s so unhinged and so wild and so eccentric that you just by no means know what you’re gonna get. That’s all the time refreshing as a result of there’s a conformity to lots of people, and he’s undoubtedly very idiosyncratic.
What was your response to studying how all of this might play out? Did Jesse Armstrong inform you, early on within the season? Did you must wait till you bought the later scripts? How did you learn the way this might all finish?
SKARSGARD: At the start of final yr, once I had the dialog with Jesse, he broadly laid out what was gonna occur. He informed me about Logan’s dying, and the way Matsson would transfer in and goal Shiv, and the way that relationship would develop. But we didn’t get particularly into the final couple of episodes, and I didn’t actually ask him. We talked about it fairly late, really, about how it will finish. I didn’t really feel like I wanted to know once we have been capturing the primary half of it. It didn’t actually have an effect on my character or the way in which I approached him. So, with the succession of all of it, we had a dialog perhaps two months earlier than we shot the very finish of the season, or the tip of the present, to get extra into the specifics of how it will go down.
And what was your response to that?
SKARSGARD: I assumed it made excellent sense. I believe Lukas will get what he deserves.
Succession airs on Sunday nights on HBO and is accessible to stream on HBO Max.