Kieran Culkin won the Emmy for lead actor in a drama series Monday night for his portrayal of Roman “Romulus” Roy, the foul-mouthed little brother of the Roy clan, in the final season of HBO’s “Succession.” Culkin has swept awards season this year, also winning the Critics Choice Award for Actor in a Drama Series on Sunday night and the Golden Globe last weekend.
The actor known for his spontaneous and surprising comments gave a speech that deviated from his norm. He was visibly choked up and shed a tear as he thanked his mother and even called his wife, who apparently said that “maybe” they could have another baby if he won on Monday night.
“I wasted all my time hugging everyone,” Culkin began, before thanking his co-stars and series creator Jesse Armstong. “I love you all. A lot. Especially everyone in the cast… Thank you so much. I love you. I'm not going to have time, I don't want to get yelled at, so I have to thank Jesse Armstrong for being a brilliant writer, showrunner and gentleman “Thank you for the 'succession'.”
“And then I had to switch to personal very quickly,” he continued excitedly. “I have to thank my mother for giving me life, and my childhood, which was great. So thank you for that.”
He then thanked his longtime manager, Emily Gerson Saines, who worked with the actor for 29 years. “Sorry, Emily, you probably didn't want me to say the number, but I did,” he joked.
“Yeah, I just have to thank you for keeping my name in the conversation when no one was talking about me. As far as I’m concerned, this is yours,” she added, holding up her Emmy Award.
Culkin later thanked his wife Jazz Charton for sharing her life with him and giving him two children, Kinsey Sioux and Wilder Wolf. “I love you very much,” he continued. “And Jazz, I want more. You said! you said maybe If I win.”
Backstage, Culkin revealed that he had been asking for another baby for some time and that his wife had joked that she would think about it. Yeah won an Emmy. “I didn't bring it up for months, and then when I won the Golden Globe, I said, 'Do you remember what you said?' She didn't do it and I told her so,” Culkin explained. “So she spent the whole week nervous. And instead of just talking to him like a human, I asked him on stage, which was very rude.”
Culkin's portrayal of the underdog successors to the Waystar-Royco empire made him a fan favorite of the series that became a cultural phenomenon since its debut in 2018. In a time of life imitating art, too He was competing for the lead actor Emmy against Brian Cox, who played his media mogul father on the series, and Jeremy Strong, who plays Logan's estranged son Kendall on the series.
The “Succession” star told The Times’ Mark Olsen and Yvonne Villarreal in 2022 that while he normally liked to know the full scope of a character’s story, with Roy, “I found myself telling them [‘Succession’ creator Armstrong], 'No spoilers, please. I just want to know everything Roman knows, and I don't want to know where he's going.'”
“For me, the whole program has humor. All. And anything that's dark or hurtful can't have impact without it being kind of funny to me.”
Culkin was originally asked to audition for Cousin Greg, but the actor was drawn to Roman. “That's my belly,” he told The Times. “I don't really know what that is, but I know I started reading Cousin Greg and immediately thought, 'I get it.' I know who this guy is, but it's not me. I can not do this.' And then with Roman, I knew I could do it. I liked her voice and I really clicked with her. Almost every syllable said: I completely understand who this guy is, and that almost never happens. But I can't tell you exactly what that is. I could not do it. I mean, I'd have to try to analyze it. I don't know how much time you have. I'm still trying to find a therapist. So if you have any good recommendations, we can try to figure these things out together.”
Culkin has been candid about his work on “Succession” solidifying his desire to work as an actor, but when The Times asked him how satisfying he got from acting in his “Succession” era, he channeled Roy when he said “Oh. 'Satisfaction.' Shut up. Rough.”
This was Culkin's third Emmy nomination and his first win for “Succession.” He was nominated twice before for supporting actor in a drama series.
