What 'Succession' got right about billionaires — including their quest for internal life
Macall B. Polay/HBO
- The characters on HBO's "Succession" often referenced real events and billionaire figures.
- Inspirations include "the Murdochs and such," its costume designer recently told Harper's Bazaar.
- But there are less obvious nods to the superrich — and their obsessions — throughout the show.
The truth is often said to be stranger than fiction, but when it comes to "Succession," it was all pretty strange.
The HBO drama, which has won awards for its acting and writing, was incredibly well-researched. With characters based on various business titans and politicians, the show generally depicted the lives of the ultra-ultra rich — the Roy family is said to be worth $18 billion — with skillful accuracy and few exaggerations.
There are obvious nods: The Roys, like the Murdochs and the Arnaults, have succession drama that's made for TV. They use their money to fund political campaigns — and even a presidency. And there are many, many private jets.
But there are also the more subtle nods to the lifestyles of the .0001%, like their obsession with living forever (even billionaire Kim Kardashian seems to have joined the bandwagon).
HBO/YouTube
You may have noticed that, no matter the weather, the Roys will eschew coats — other than that bizarre down-trench Shiv was wearing in Norway. It's not because billionaires run hot; it's simply because they don't bother with the elements. Vests, of course, are another story, as proven by Josh Aaronson, who Adrien Brody plays.
"Rich people don't wear coats when they go out, because they just go straight from the car into the venue," Mark Mylod, an executive producer of "Succession," told Robb Report.
The venue — or the private jet, as Kieran Culkin, who plays Roman Roy, explained in a recent interview with Esquire.
"The coat thing is kind of interesting and does seem to track," the actor said. "They drive right up to the jet or helicopter, like why was I wearing a fucking coat? It's just cumbersome. I get it now, they don't ever have to walk anywhere or do anything."
Peter Kramer/HBO
The Roy siblings' wardrobes and styling — full of monochromatic looks, suit blazers in every hue of navy, charcoal, and black, and of course, the errant hair tie — have been dissected endlessly.
Anyone with even a passing interest in these fictional media oligarchs can probably conjure a vision board around "stealth wealth," or "quiet luxury" — a reference to the printless, logo-less look that some members of the ultra-rich favor. Kendall's $625 Cap from Loro Piana, a brand James Murdoch — one of the media mogul Rupert Murdoch's sons — wears, and Shiv's no-nonsense bob, are two strong examples.
The looks often tell a story about a particular character's mental state — recall Kendall's chunky pendant necklace accessorizing his crew-neck tee in the Season 3 finale, when the siblings stage a half-baked intervention that turns into a volley of recriminations.
But they also reference real-life counterparts, like the "Murdochs and such," Michelle Matland, the show's costume designer, told Harper's Bazaar last month.
Kendall has certainly been known to storm a boardroom meeting or two in a no-tie-suit look that evokes Lachlan Murdoch, Rupert Murdoch's eldest son.
He also sometimes displays LVMH scion Alexandre Arnault's flair for a statement-sneaker look, such as when he attempted to rock a pair of Lanvin sneakers at a meeting, not unlike the Arnault son's effort at making a pair of Tiffany-blue Nike Air Force 1s — a collaboration between the brands — happen at a recent Tiffany event.
In a case of art imitating life or vice versa, Elle compared Ivanka Trump's blunt-blonde-bob look in 2019 to that of the polished Shiv Roy of season 2, who was debuting a sleeker look as she began positioning herself as a more serious contender for the reins to the fictional Waystar Royco, her father's media empire.
David Russell/HBO
When Kendall first presented his take on Living+ — "personalized longevity programs" — there were sideways glances and eye rolls. But in reality, billionaires love the prospect of immortality. They can buy almost anything, so why not buy a little more life?
A number of tech billionaires, including Peter Thiel and Larry Ellison have tried fending off a visit from the grim reaper by focusing on various anti-aging practices — none of which involve exclusive Waystar content.
"Death has never made any sense to me. How can a person be there and then just vanish, just not be there?" Ellison once told his biographer.
The solution to the plebeian problem of death is different for each billionaire. Thiel has donated and invested millions in the cause, including organizations that focus on cryonics, the practice of freezing human corpses to stop the aging process. Jeff Bezos has reportedly put money into a company that seeks to "reverse disease, injury, and the disabilities that can occur throughout life."
Even mere millionaires are seeking answers. Bryan Johnson, a biotech CEO, said he has reduced his biological age by five years thanks to a fastidious routine involving waking up at 5 a.m., taking over 100 supplements, and eating exactly 1,977 calories a day.
Most recently, Johnson sat down with billionaire Kim Kardashian to discuss the topic at what he called a "don't die dinner." Other guests included Kardashian's mother, Kris Jenner, and sister, Khloe, as well as plastic surgeon to the stars Jason Diamon and pop-neuroscientist Andrew Huberman.
HBO
If Logan Roy's house seems extravagant, that's because people need to cough up millions to afford it — or if you're Connor Roy, it's exactly $63 million, to be precise.
And real billionaires are lending their properties for the fictional Roys to toil around in.
In the season premiere, as Kendall, Shiv, and Roman all plot on creating a new media brand, "The Hundred," they traipse around a beautiful home in sunny Los Angeles. That home belongs to the 28-year-old billionaire Austin Russell, the founder and CEO of autonomous-car-tech company Luminar Technologies, Quartz reported.
Russell bought that mansion for a cool $83 million, a bit more than Connor is paying for Logan's house.
And the mansion where Josh Aaronson, the Waystar Royco investor who invited Kendall and Logan over in season 3, is located in the Hamptons and hit the market for $55 million in April, the Robb Report said.
Graeme Hunter/HBO.
Kieran Culkin, who plays the impish fascism-apologist Roman Roy, has mentioned the show's "wealth consultants" a few times in his public appearances. They help get the Roys' subtle behaviors right, he's said — such as the casual way they exit helicopters.
"You know where the propeller is. You wouldn't be ducking your head," he told the "Schitt's Creek" star and co-creator Dan Levy in 2020.
Helicopters are part of the arsenal of transportation that the billionaire elite and royalty favor, with leaders including Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and the English royal family relying on choppers, especially for shorter commutes, Insider has previously reported.
Macall B. Polay/HBO
From taking coats off guests at Logan's house to Kendall's "skeleton crew" who help him make coffee for Frank in a season 1 episode, the Roys rely on staff within their house throughout the series.
And it turns out billionaires do, too, in their everyday lives.
David Youdovin, the founder and CEO of Hire Society, a recruitment firm that helps high-net-worth individuals and families in New York City, the Hamptons, and Palm Beach, staff their homes and businesses, told Insider in 2018 that house staff can make a major difference in making life easier for billionaires.
"The vast majority of our clients are the .01% — they have multiple homes, private aircraft, and several members of domestic staff," Youdovin, who worked as a butler and estate manager for a billionaire family before founding Hire Society in 2012, said.
"There's major altruism in putting good people to work with these families," Youdovin told Insider at the time. "These salaries can be life-changing, especially for people not originally from the United States."
Household-staff positions can pay upward of six figures, and positions range from drivers to butlers to nannies. Plus, there's the chance to win $1 million if you hit a home run playing baseball with your employer.