An afternoon at the golf range with Nicholas Braun,Successions clumsiest power player.
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If anyones bumbling this afternoon, its me.
But if Braun is annoyed, he doesnt show it.
He reveals that hes brought his own clubs and has already secured us a spot on the range.
Have I played before, he wants to know?
Im a real virgin!
I blurt out nervously.
Oh, wow, he says, widening his eyes in that familiar Cousin Greg way.
Oh, this is exciting.
He takes a graceful swing and sends the ball soaring across the grass-covered pier toward the Hudson River.
TV critic Andy Greenwald tweeted about getting a Cousin Greg tattoo.
The champion we need and deserve.
At least at first.
All of this makes for a deliciously complicated character whose motives are never fully clear, even to Braun.
I still dont know exactly what Greg is, says Braun.
Everybody in the show lives in this weird middle ground.
Is Greg secretly cunning?
Or does he think hes cunning and hes really not?
I dont know, he says.
Its maybe for other people to determine.
I have no clue, he shrugs.
Full of dynamics and fear and taking opportunities and running with them.
Brauns own path to opportunity began among the popped collars and Top-Siders of Fairfield County, Connecticut.
(Hence the passion for whacking small white balls with a stick.)
He thinks his height may have held him back.
I like my body, he says.
I think its okay.
And I knew then I wasnt getting the part.
On set, I basically feel completely socially anxious like all the time, he says.
I want to not dilute my attention to the projects that I care about, he says.
It was partly inspired by his own romantic troubles.
I havent had the best time dating.
I was seeing somebody for a while, and we broke up in May.
I wished it worked out, but it just wasnt.
It doesnt come naturally to me, planning dates and stuff like that.
He orders a Strawbiscus Ricky without the gin.
In a few hours, he explains, hell be flying to Croatia to film the second seasons finale.
(What takes the Roys to Europe, he wont say.)
I feel like when I drink before flights it makes me prone to a sinus infection, he says.
A plate arrives piled with grains and greens.
Wow, he says, wrapping his long fingers around his chin, thumb running along his jawline.
Um, okay, marry, he continues.
Well, you cant fuck Roman.
So maybe marry Roman.
I know Kieran [Culkin].
Im like, theres a sweet side there.
And then I guess fuck Shiv and kill Kendall.
Braun reconsiders for a moment.
Although it could go both ways.
Shivs a hot, powerful woman.
How do I talk about a co-star like this?
But its a character; were talking characters, so …
I would never want to kill Kendall because hes my boy.
I dont know, maybe Id fuck him and kill Shiv.
Maybe thats what I have to do.
We have a good chemistry, me and Kendall.
And hes gone through so much.
Hed be really grateful, I bet.
Questions about Gregs love life inevitably arise.
Brauns not sure Greg has one.
The first season, I felt like Greg was asexual, in a way, he says.
Like he was all about being good, doing the right things.
And honestly, the second seasons not much different.
At least as far as dating goes.
Bending to meet Kendalls gaze, he says, softly, Anyone would be wise to keep me around.
This time, Braun doesnt hesitate to answer.
Shark, he says.
Wed look each other in the eye and be able to recognize, This is not an aggressive situation.
We can exist here as friends.
He can look in my eyes; I can look in his.
I can neutralize him.
