Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Succession’s Jeremy Strong reveals he actually drank the retch-inducing smoothie in series finale

‘I wouldn’t know how not to drink it,’ said the Kendall Roy star

Louis Chilton
Wednesday 31 May 2023 05:22 BST
Comments
Succession season 4 finale preview

Your support helps us to tell the story

This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.

The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.

Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.

Jeremy Strong has revealed that he really drank the disgusting smoothie that featured in the series finale of Succession.

The acclaimed HBO drama, which was released on Sky and NOW in the UK, reached its dramatic conclusion in the early hours of Monday (29 May) morning.

Spoilers follow for the series finale of Succession...

In the episode, Kendall Roy (Strong) is poised to become the boss of Waystar RoyCo after his sister Shiv (Sarah Snook) agrees to back him.

Along with fellow sibling Roman (Kieran Culkin), Shiv prepares a revolting drink in a blender, which Kendall is then made to drink in a scene of light-hearted hazing.

Described as a “meal fit for a king”, the concoction contains a number of pungent ingredients, including raw eggs, Tabasco sauce, milk, bread crusts, cocoa powder, out-of-date pickles, and his sister’s spit.

Speaking on the Succession podcast following the airing of the finale, Strong, a well-known method actor, revealed that he drank the smoothie for real.

“We did it only a few times and I went outside and retched and jumped in the ocean and washed it off my hair,” the 44-year-old actor said.

“And yeah, I did drink it. I wouldn’t know how not to drink it. He wants it that badly that he’s gonna drink whatever that is, right, but it was disgusting.”

Kieran Culkin, Sarah Snook and Jeremy Strong in ‘Succession'
Kieran Culkin, Sarah Snook and Jeremy Strong in ‘Succession' (HBO/Sky)

You can read The Independent’s review and recap of the feature-length finale here.

Succession creator Jesse Armstrong gave an interview after the final episode explaining why the unexpected ending for the series was the “right” one.

Apple TV+ logo

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days

New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled

Try for free
Apple TV+ logo

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days

New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled

Try for free

For a breakdown of what exactly the ending meant, you can find an explainer about Succession’s haunting final scenes here.

After the episode aired, Snook also shared a tribute to her fellow cast members in a heartfelt Instagram post.

“It’s hard to express what this show has meant to me. The places I got to go, the immense talent I got to work with… it breaks my heart that it is all over,” she wrote.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in