“I just love that this Emmy nomination comes on the words of Jesse Armstrong,” shares Arian Moayed, who celebrates his career first bid for his performance on the HBO series “Succession.” The actor has appeared in every season of the show as the shrewd corporate investor Stewy Hosseini, a longtime friend, business partner, and occasional adversary to Jeremy Strong’s Kendall Roy. He admits that he’s “still kind of pinching” himself about the news of his recognition, beaming, “I love it.” Watch our exclusive video interview above.
Moayed discusses how he first became involved with the show, dating back to an audition for the pilot episode. When he read for the series again a year later, he says he found Stewy “fascinating” because of how corporate types like his character “must be surrounded by shields” and “Teflon.” He describes the character as “carefree and serious and honest, bluntly honest,” all attributes that lend themselves to his hilarious and wry performance.
WATCH our exclusive video interview with director Mark Mylod, ‘Succession’ Season 2
The actor submitted the episode “Retired Janitors of Idaho” for Emmy consideration. In the installment, Stewy helps broker an extremely last-minute deal between Kendall’s family company Waystar Royco and his own partners as the two sides attempt to avoid a shareholder vote that would determine ownership for them. Moayed chose this one because he loves the “maneuvering” that Stewy and Kendall do and the pivotal role his character plays in “trying to make the deal happen.” The episode leans heavily into farce, but he notes that the actors try not to anticipate the tone of the episode. “We’re not told what style these scenes are. We’re just going in there and forcing our version of what true might be,” admits the actor.
Across all three seasons, Moayed has shared the majority of his scenes with Strong. The two have known each other for years and their personal history helps inform their on-screen rapport. He notes that he and the Emmy winner have “completely different styles of acting” that lend to their “different energies” when in character and are “documented in a very real way” by the camera. He observes how “Jeremy takes the work so seriously and so deeply,” whereas he admits he tries “to relax in the space” when in production.
WATCH our exclusive video interview with Nicholas Braun, ‘Succession’ Season 2
The Emmy nominee appears in four episodes from the third season. In one memorable scene in the second episode “Mass in Time of War,” Stewy gives Kendall an opportunity to explain why he publicly turned on his father Logan (Brian Cox) in the shocking Season 2 finale. “I think he would have started calculating what the moves are… playing chess pieces four steps ahead,” confesses the actor of what Stewy was likely doing as Kendall’s revealing press conference aired. He continues, “Stewy also has to realize this is a man who has wronged him in the past as well… he’s constantly playing the game.”
Although the actor could not divulge any specifics about the upcoming fourth season of “Succession,” he did comment on what he would like to see from his character. “I hope he continues to drop bombs… and go in a little bit and try to see how he can be top dog.” Moayed would also love to share a scene with fellow Emmy nominee Nicholas Braun, saying, “I would love just one scene with Cousin Greg… I think they would actually get along.”
PREDICT the 2022 Emmy winners through September 12
Make your predictions at Gold Derby now. Download our free and easy app for Apple/iPhone devices or Android (Google Play) to compete against legions of other fans plus our experts and editors for best prediction accuracy scores. See our latest prediction champs. Can you top our esteemed leaderboards next? Always remember to keep your predictions updated because they impact our latest racetrack odds, which terrify Hollywood chiefs and stars. Don’t miss the fun. Speak up and share your huffy opinions in our famous forums where 5,000 showbiz leaders lurk every day to track latest awards buzz. Everybody wants to know: What do you think? Who do you predict and why?
