Succession’s Kieran Culkin Answers Burning Fan Question About Roman Roy

With the show’s much-anticipated finale on the horizon, Succession fans have been looking back at the show’s four-season run. Now, lead star Kieran Culkin (aka Roman Roy) has finally addressed a long-standing fan question regarding his character, after some curious viewers noticed a reference to Roman’s apparent wife and kid in Succession’s first-ever episode.

In the pilot, which first aired back in 2018, it appeared that Roman was married with one child. However, this was never to be explored in the hit series again. Speaking to Variety, Culkin cleared up any fan confusion, confirming that they were “not his kid” and “not his wife, either.” He continued: “It was in the pilot, and after it was picked up, it was his girlfriend, and she had a child.”

Culkin added that he was “excited about the idea of [Roman] having a kid” in the hit drama. “The kid was like 7 or 8. It was a little disappointing, but I think the idea was that it would just give them more freedom to play with the character.” During the interview, the actor also revealed that showrunners were “questioning what Roman’s sexuality is” before the pilot, adding that they still “don’t know what it is.”

Meanwhile, when asked if he’s sad that Succession is coming to an end, Culkin shared that he has “all sorts of feelings.” He continued: “I haven’t processed it yet. We just finished shooting six weeks ago, and there’s been a lot of press since then ... it still feels like we’re making it.”

As mentioned, Culkin has played Roman Roy in the HBO drama since 2018, a role which earned him a Critics’ Choice Television Award in 2022, as well as multiple Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominations throughout the show’s hugely-successful run. Ahead of the 2023 Primetime Emmy Awards, it was announced that Culkin’s performance as Roman would be submitted in the Lead Actor in a Drama Series category. In the past, he was submitted in the Supporting Actor category.