SPOILER ALERT: You should not read this if you have not seen the sixth episode. “Succession”Season 3 titled “What It Takes.”
Is Connor Roy a possible president? “Succession”? This episode, which started as a joke in Season 2, now appears to be a real possibility. There are many aspiring presidential candidates.
In “What It Takes,”In the sixth episode, Season 3, the Roys attend a high-profile meeting of politicians and donors to decide who the next presidential candidate to support. The Roys have immense power thanks to their powerful news network ATN. This ran a smear campaign that was directed against the president, resulting in him not seeking reelection. Logan (Brian Cox), Shiv(Sarah Snook), and Roman (Kieran Curkin) debate supporting different candidates. However, one dark horse emerges which they briefly discuss: Connor Roy. (Alan Ruck).
Already the oldest sibling has a base fanatic supporters (called Conheads), power of Roy family name, and a political outsider personality that inspires some donors, including one Panhandle Pete. There’s a general sense of “Seriously?”Logan floated the idea with his children. But Roman prevails with Jeryd Mencken (Justin Kirk), his inflaming candidate. Greg (Nicholas Braun), admits that he is wrong. “I think I owe it to my country to say, I don’t think you should crown Connor president.”
Ruck tells us all about it Variety about Connor’s true political ambitions, the Trump-like parallels and how he might spoil the race as a third-party candidate.
What are Connor’s political stances?
Connor’s platform basically is composed of whatever he’s interested in on that particular day. He’s very much like Logan, any other member of the Roy family or member of the 1%, which is, “I have my money, leave me alone.” He’s very interested in protecting his fortune, and he’s really not interested in paying any taxes. He’s got a seat-of-his-pants, sketchy ideology. I once described Connor’s brain as a mixed-up box of Trivial Pursuit cards. He’s not a dummy, but he is really scattered and delusional. The political thing so far, he’s trying to figure out something to make his father sit down and say, “My god, Connor, that was really amazing,” which has never happened in Connor’s life; he never got praise from his dad. He’s trying to find something that will impress his father and potentially make his father need him. At this point, he’s viewing the presidential race as a popularity contest.
Did you draw any parallels from Trump’s election to Connor’s plan to run?
We all lived through that, so I don’t think we should every take anything for granted. The country is so big and so fractured — there are millions of people, who you and I will probably never rub elbows with, living life on a different wavelength. There are a lot of people who get swept under the carpet, and they’ve been ignored for a long time. People think because they’re American, all their dreams are supposed to come true, whether they work for them or not. There are a lot of people out there who are entitled but have also been neglected, and they’re really pissed off. If someone comes along like Trump and says, “You people are good people. You know what the problem is? These people over here.”This is nothing new. This is an example of the Nazi strategy. When you have a bunch of disenfranchised people and they’re mad and they’re looking for somebody to blame and someone shows up, there you go. I don’t know exactly how Connor is going to pitch himself. I’m waiting to find out from [“Succession” creator] Jesse Armstrong and the gang which way they’re going to twist this. I think Connor’s learning that to get ahead in this family, you have to play dirty, and I think he’s becoming more willing to do that.
To add drama, would Connor ever change parties or run for independent against the candidate he supports?
I don’t think that’s a strange idea at all. Connor is determined make his mark wherever he can. If that eventually winds up happening that he goes third party or independent, I think at the very least Connor is hoping he’ll have enough of a following at the convention that somebody’s gonna come to him and say, “Listen, why don’t you help us out. Why don’t you throw your support behind us.” He’s looking to increase his power however he’s able to do that. If that means going against the grain and against the family, I think he’d do it in a heartbeat.
What would be Connor’s campaign slogan?
“No taxes, no worries.”
Connor and Willa [Justine Lupe]This could be the first time a presidential couple has met “online.”What would Willa do to be First Lady?
Willa would probably study the First Ladies of the past to see what interests them. I remember Lady Bird Johnson’s whole thing was Make America Beautiful. [Laughs]That’s what I see Willa doing. She might get inspired by Jackie Kennedy’s tour of the White House because we play into her aspirations as a playwright. As we’ve seen with Trump and Melania — she was not a typical First Lady — so I think Willa would be fine.[Laughs]Willa would be better as First Lady than Connor would as president.
Would Connor pick any of his siblings to be his Vice President?
Unambiguously no. That would be Connor’s game, and he wouldn’t want it messed up with his brothers and sister, who are incapable of listening. Connor never was interested in or willing to play a role in running the corporation. If the other three knuckleheads would learn how to listen and dial down the ego just for a while, the three of them running the company would’ve been great. They’re very bright, it’s just their egos are bigger than their intellects. They are absolutely incapable of listening — they do aggressive listening. “Are you done with your bullshit idea so I can tell you what’s really going on?” That’s how they listen. Connor would never want them to be around.
“Succession”Sundays at 9 p.m., HBO.