Jeremy Strong reveals the darker alternate ending of Succession. Created by Jeremy Armstrong, the fight to be Logan Roy’s successor has finally ended, with the coveted spot eluding all the Roy kids. Each sibling has suffered massive losses throughout this ordeal, but no fate is as tragic as Kendall Roy’s.
Brilliantly played by Jeremy Strong, the actor opens up about his character’s heartbreaking ending in the Succession finale. In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, he reveals an alternate final scene for Kendall, and not only is it unscripted, but it’s also way darker than what ends up on the screen. Read his full quote below:
“I tried to go into the water after we cut. I got up from that bench and went as fast as I could over the barrier and onto the pilings, and the actor playing Colin raced over. I didn’t know I was gonna do that, and he didn’t know, but he raced over and stopped me. I don’t know whether in that moment I felt that Kendall just wanted to die — I think he did — or if he wanted to be saved by essentially a proxy of his father.”
Why Kendall Couldn’t Be Succession’s Winner
In the Succession finale, Kendall’s hopes of becoming WayStar RoyCo’s crumble down for the final time as Shiv officially ends this journey for him. Despite his deal with his siblings, Shiv decides to switch sides at the very end and even exposes his dark secret about killing someone — a secret that has been haunting Kendall since the season 1 finale. While he initially claimed that he would die if he doesn’t get the top spot at his family’s company, Number 1 boy actually lives at the end of Succession.
Somehow, Shiv preventing Kendall from becoming WayStar RoyCo’s CEO may have saved him from being like his father. The last few episodes of Succession showed hints of him following Logan’s footsteps when it comes to being conniving and ruthless. Had he reached his goal, it’s possible that he would have become so much worse down the road. The HBO Max series leaves Kendall’s future bleak, but if he gets the support he needs and is able to finally let go of the fantasy of becoming his father’s successor, he may actually have a shot at redemption.
Succession is an ensemble series filled with despicable and morally-bankrupt characters. That being said, Kendall is the closest the show has to a protagonist. So despite everything that he has done over the course of the series, it’s difficult not to feel his pain at the end of the show.
