Succession showrunner Jesse Armstrong says Ghislaine Maxwell inspired latest episode

‘That was something of a model,’ writer said

Successioncreator Jesse Armstrong has said that the writers took inspiration from Ghislaine Maxwell in the show’s explosive latest episode.

*Major Succession spoilers ahead – you have been warned*

Episode three of the final season of HBO’s acclaimed drama saw Waystar Royco patriarch Logan Roy (Cox) skip his son Connor’s (Alan Ruck) wedding in an attempt to do a business deal with Lukas Matsson (Alexander Skarsgård).

However, during the flight, Logan collapses in the plane bathroom. Despite air stewards attempting to do CPR, he dies on the plane. His children learn that their father is dying while at the wedding and attempt to say their last words to him over the phone.

Once the news threatens to leak, the family gather with Logan’s advisors and Shiv (Sarah Snook) gives an emotional speech to the press while still in a state of shock.

You can read The Independent’s review of episode three here.

Appearing on HBO’s Succession podcast, showrunner Armstrong spoke about the children’s different reactions of grief to their father’s death and Shiv’s speech on behalf of her siblings.

“In the writer’s room we looked at quite a lot,” Armstrong said. “Ghislaine Maxwell after her father died, she gave a statement in, I think it’s the Canary Islands, where the boat went back to.”

Maxwell (left) at her father’s funeral in 1991 (AFP via Getty Images)

In 1991, Ghislaine’s father, “media mogul” Robert Maxwell was found dead in the Atlantic Ocean, presumed to have fallen overboard the yacht named after his daughter.

Ghislaine gave a speech from The Lady Ghislaine in both Spanish and English, thanking the public for their support.

“And Ghislaine needs no introduction at this point,” said podcast host Kara Swisher, with Armstrong responding: “Ghislaine now needs no introduction, right, but at that point was just his favoured daughter. So that was something of a model.”

In 2021, Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison after being found guilty of five counts of trafficking and abusing young girls over decades with the late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Maxwell has continued to protest her innocence in jailhouse interviews.

The cast of ‘Succession' in episode 3 (HBO)

The convicted sex offender refused to apologise to her victims and said they should blame US authorities for “allowing Epstein to die” in an interview broadcast on TalkTV in January.

Speaking to British GQ, episode director Mark Mylod added: “There is an obsession with authenticity. We do a lot of research into any real-life event or media event. We have a whole system of consultants and referencing. We try really hard to get that right, and that was a very appropriate and direct connection to make, with the Maxwell family.”

The stars of Succession have spoken about filming the most recent episode, with Jeremy Strong saying that he found the process “shocking and emotionally devastating”.

Discussing filming Shiv’s reaction to her father’s death, Snook added: “Being in that frame of mind for two weeks at a time is not healthy.”

Meanwhile, fans have shared their frustration after the episode was spoiled for them after US publication The Los Angeles Times published a tongue-in-cheek obituary to Logan Roy.

Succession airs Sundays at 9pm EST on HBO Max in the US and Mondays on Sky Atlantic and Now in the UK.