Adrien Brody Dishes on the Power-Dynamics Behind His Guest-Starring Role in ‘Succession’

Oscar-winner Adrien Brody has found himself in Emmy contention.

Guest-starring on two episodes of season three of HBO‘s Succsession as Josh Aaronson, a dangerously-disalarming billionaire investor that tells Logan (Brian Cox) and Kendall (Jeremy Strong) to take a hike—literally. It’s all part of an ever-evolving game of chess as Succession continues to explore the boundaries of business, greed, and family—the sharpest drama on television.

Here, in an interview with Awards Daily’s Shadan Larki, Brody explains how he found himself on a show he loves and how he worked with the Succession team to craft his “conscious, but selfish” character.

Awards Daily: I’d like to start with a kind of basic question, but an important one. I mean, of all the opportunities that come your way, why was Succession an interesting and important one for you to take on? How did you come to this role and this guest appearance? 

Adrien Brody: Well, you know, it’s really interesting. I love Succession; I love the show; it’s so smart, well done, and superb. And when I watch a show like that— I’m from New York, and I see all this great work being done here- I see that, and I say, ‘That’s the kind of television [laughs], I’d love to do—if I’m going to do a show, if I get to work on a show, I’d love to do something like that.’ It’s hard … it’s already in play, right? So, everybody’s cast. And then, when Adam McKay – who’s creatively involved with Succession and on Winning Time – when he and his team were discussing Winning Time with me, I had signed up to play Pat Riley, they said, ‘By the way, there’s an interesting bit on Succession. And, it kind of came about magically like that. I just thought it was a really fun opportunity to go and work with people who were doing work I really admire. I’d worked with Brian Cox about 20 years ago or so, and it’s just so great. And Jeremy’s work was so wonderful. So, it was really exciting, and it just kind of appeared, you know? So, I was really grateful for it.

AD: And what’s it like to come into an environment that’s already a well-oiled machine and have to kind of disrupt things for a couple of episodes? [Laughs].

AB: [Laughs] You know, in some aspects, It’s harder to come in for a small stint than to join forces with everyone while everyone tries to find their way. Because that way you’re all going through the growing pains together. So there is pressure. I have to jump into the deep end; these guys are big sharks swirling around. There’s excitement in that. And I think part of the responsibility of being an actor is to somehow find a way to channel that pressure and turn that into strength—whether it’s overtly in the character or tucked into some kind of burning thing within you—you have to channel it, rather than let that hold you back. I’ve been doing this for a lifetime and somehow I understand how to do that in acting more than other areas of my life. [Laughs]. But I know that I have to rise to the occasion because film is permanent; whether it’s on television or not, it is permanent. The beauty of that is something to be very afraid of. But you want the work that you do on film to remain…to not to squander that moment.

AD: And your character, Josh, is this sort of—I don’t even know how to describe him [laughs]—this beanie-wearing, very, very chill guy, but there is so much going on there. First of all, did you have any input on Josh’s presentation, or was that all in the script?

AB: No, I actually…they were really generous with me, and we had a lot of conversations, even in the construction of the character, and they had a wonderfully written role.

But I had certain specific ideas about Josh. He was a kind of an amalgamation of several people that I know. And he had a bit of bite within him, but he’s this kind of very prepared guy. In many ways, a guy who feels that he’s really down-to-earth and kind of earthy. And there was a lot of that within the script, but I wanted him to be so prepared and calculated. He was dressed for all the elements and layered up to take these guys on this physical mission they weren’t prepared for. [Logan and Kendall] felt last minute that they were taking this meeting; they’re showing up in loafers and slacks, and they think they’re going to sit down and maybe have a bite and hash things out. And Josh has pre-thought all of this. He’s got layers on, hats [laughs], and hoodie— maybe he’s going to get hot, maybe in inclement weather [laughs] he takes it off. And, there’s a level of chess-playing that’s going on with all of them. So I wanted him to feel that he had the upper hand in that moment— which he did in many ways.  

It was also an exciting thing to play a character on a show that— we are so kind of comfortable in seeing these guys exude the control – and then to have a moment where someone comes in unexpectedly, and disrupts them, and sees through a bit of the turmoil that’s been there—that’s really interesting.

AD: Is Josh actually a nice guy? Or does he think that he’s a nice guy? What is your take on his ego and how it fits into the larger power dynamics?

AB: I mean, look: I think he definitely thinks he’s a nice guy, but he’s a much nicer guy than they are [laughter]. I’ll put it that way, he’s a nicer guy, for sure, 100%. But, you know…oh man, when there’s that much power and opportunity at your disposal and control available to any individual, it would surely corrupt. You know what I mean? And it’s all relative because he could be a much nastier person. And, I think he strives to be somewhat…he kind of wants to eat healthily and do things that are right for the environment. So, I think he’s conscious, but he’s selfish if that makes sense. [Laughs].

AD: And will we see more of Josh in the future?

AB: I sure would love that. I don’t have that answer, but I sure would love it. And I’ve definitely…[laughs] expressed that to the writers and the creators— about how much I loved playing that role. And it’s an amazing thing. I mean, I have to say that so many people see and love that show— there are certain bits that I’ve done throughout my career that are very visible, and I didn’t necessarily anticipate that kind of a reaction. And this was one of them, and I’m really grateful for that. But, I jumped in because I love the show and the work. And I’m grateful for the opportunity, in any shape or form to get to inhabit well-written characters and find the nuance within them. And this was one of those, and that really was so much fun; even though there’s a lot of pressure to jump in, it was so much fun. So, I would definitely welcome the chance to come back and play with them.

AD: And what kind of reaction did you get? Were people sort of intimidated by you [laughs]? Or were people cheering you on?

AB: [Laughs] Where? After the show when people saw it?

AD: Yeah.

AB: I think people…I think most people somewhat know me by now [laughs] – and there’s quite a lot to contend with. There’s a range. But I don’t think people are…I don’t exude that quality in my life, and people get a kick out of it. Like, I met a guy the other night at dinner, and he said, ‘Can I shake your hand?’ And he goes, ‘Oh my God, I shook the hand of the guy that killed the predator.’ That’s such a random thing [Laughs]! Genuinely – he was a young guy – but he was genuinely excited about that. There are so many random things—it runs the gamut. 

It’s an amazing thing, when you feel that the stuff that inspires you, inspires others and you share that. It’s just really amazing.

AD: You know, you are at an exciting point in your career where I feel like you get to pick really varied, interesting projects; I mean, I loved your work in The French Dispatch last year. How do you make those choices? What is that sort of X factor for you that’s like, ‘Okay. I want to be a part of this thing’?

AB: Well, when I get a call from Wes [Anderson], I do the project, you know? I love him so much. And I love his work. But yeah, in general, I think there are ebbs and flows in a career. And when great filmmakers see you consistently working with filmmakers that they, too, admire, then it’s very easy for them to trust that you are going to be an asset to their vision and their production. And that is the tricky thing about this profession and breaking into this profession for actors. If you don’t have a body of work and you don’t have work that at the moment is catching the attention of the people that are creating and producing the material, then you are somehow locked into obscurity. And as I’ve said, I’ve worked a lifetime. 

And fortunately, this is a really lovely moment, and a lot of great work has been accessible to me. And, you find the things that speak to you and that you have the space to honor and represent faithfully. And some you miss, and the ones that you get that opportunity to do, you have to jump in and devote what you have to them. And that’s really just what it is. And that’s been my life for so long. It’s been a really interesting time through everything that we’re living through to find stuff that challenges me and allows me to continue to grow and do the work that I love to do.

AD: And I have to let you go. But, is there anything you wanted to mention that I haven’t asked you about? Especially because there was so much work that went into a character we only saw for a couple of episodes. I want to make sure we give Josh his due here! 

AB: I feel like the exciting thing is the element of surprise in this, and it was somewhat a surprise for me as well. And, you know, it’s an unusual thing, as I said earlier – to come in and have an opportunity to collaborate with people that have something so fully formed. And, you know, The writers, the production team, and everybody creatively involved were so generous. So I appreciate that trust and that sense of community. And to jump right into something like that— to let me come in and kind of put my own distinct mark on that character and help them build something was really exciting. And it feels like it landed, and that’s really a wonderful thing.

AD: Oh, absolutely. And you looked like you were having a blast! I mean, was it fun? 

AB: Oh, I’ll tell you something that nobody really knows: I was sick as a dog [laughter]! Obviously, I didn’t have COVID because we tested every minute, but I was so unwell. 

And I incorporated that element into it, which they’ve kind of cut around, but they liked it in the moment. I guess they didn’t want to make a thing out of it, but I had Josh constantly hitting Afrin. He had like the little nasal spray thing and he was popping it out and doing it—it was a really funny bit, but it was too much to handle [laughs]. Unfortunately, I had to cram all this in as I was preparing to play Pat Riley and there was very little time to get it done, and I should’ve been home in bed. [Laughs]. So I had to fight that, to somehow get over the feeling. But it was a fun element, in watching it later—to see that—you can’t really tell, but it added a little something to it, I’m sure. [Laughs].

AD: I feel like I got a scoop! Thank you so much for your time.

AB: My pleasure!

All three seasons of Succession are available via HBO.