‘Succession’: Kieran Culkin’s Secret Talent Frustrates Brian Cox on Set

Kieran Culkin is an Emmy-nominated actor who’s received high praise for his performance in HBO’s Succession. But his talents aren’t always appreciated on set. As Culkin recently revealed, there’s one thing he does that frustrates co-star Brian Cox during rehearsal. 

‘Succession’ star Kieran Culkin credits his childhood acting career for helping him memorize lines quickly 

Culkin started his acting career at age 8, appearing opposite his older brother Macaulay Culkin in the 1990’s hit film, Home Alone. He appeared in several hit movies by the time he turned 20, including Father of the Bride, She’s All That, and Igby Goes Down. The actor’s performance in the latter earned him his first Golden Globe nomination. 

Over his 30-year career, Culkin has learned to memorize lines at lightning speed.  And he acknowledges the skill is a result of his early start in the industry. 

“That is something that I can credit toward my childhood acting, because I memorize lines extremely fast,” the Succession star told NPR. “It’s almost like a parlor trick. I can look at a speech like once or twice, and I can repeat it back pretty quickly.”

Kieran Culkin’s ‘Succession’ co-star Brian Cox gets frustrated by his memorization skills

In his chat with NPR, Culkin talked about his routine on set and revealed he doesn’t like running lines. He explained that he never says his lines out loud before filming, noting, “I don’t like saying it until I’m in the room saying it.” 

Culkin uses the same approach while filming Succession. And he recalled a day when Cox asked him to rehearse their dialogue. 

“It was a big scene with a big group of us and he yelled, ‘We’re running lines!'” Culkin said. “And then he started in the scene and everybody’s doing it. It came to my part and he looked at me and I said, ‘Well, I haven’t actually looked at the scene yet.'” 

Culkin grabbed the script, memorized the lines, and was ready when the cameras rolled. But when Cox realized that Culkin memorized just moments before, he grew visibly frustrated.

“He went,’ Goddamn it!'” Culkin recalled. “And he got so mad because he had to work the night before and try to learn the lines and I looked at it twice and I knew it.” 

But Kieran Culkin says Brian Cox makes playing Roman Roy easier

Cox is an immensely talented actor in his own right. He’s earned dozens of accolades over his 50-year career, including an Emmy, a Golden Globe, and two Olivier Awards. 

Culkin praised Cox’s approach to the craft when talking to NPR, especially when he plays the fierce Logan Roy. He noted that Cox’s dedication to the character makes filming their Succession scenes easier. 

“It just sort of rubs off on you,” he explained. “Just being in a scene with someone like Brian, there’s a lot less work for me to have to do. Brian is a force to be reckoned with as a person, so he just brings so much that there isn’t much effort I have to put forward.”