Jesse Armstrong, the acclaimed creator of HBO's hit drama Succession, has confessed he continues to grapple with feelings of being a fraud, even after the show's immense critical and awards success. The 54-year-old English screenwriter made the revelation during a frank discussion on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs with host Lauren Laverne.
The Creative Highs and Lows of a Hit Show
Armstrong, whose series concluded in 2023 after four celebrated seasons and won nine Golden Globe awards, described the intense duality of the writing process. He painted a vivid picture of the collaborative magic in a well-functioning writers' room, likening it to the freedom of lunar exploration. "When a writers' room is working well, it's like you're walking on the moon," he said. "You're suddenly bounding around and picking up rocks and everything's veined with gold."
He contrasted this with the solitary struggle of writing alone, where days can be spent wrestling with a single idea. "When it's not working and you feel you're not going to equal the best version of the thing you're trying to make, I would find that very, very difficult," Armstrong admitted.
A Lingering Sense of Self-Doubt
Despite the show's triumphant recognition, Armstrong revealed a persistent battle with imposter syndrome—the psychological pattern where individuals doubt their accomplishments. He suggested this insecurity is common among talented writers. "All the good writers I know that I've ever met are riddled with self-doubt," he stated.
Armstrong quantified his typical mindset when starting a project, saying, "I think you go in maybe with this 70% feeling that it's like: 'Oh, this is going to be a disaster and I'm going to be exposed as the fraud I always thought I was all along'." He clings to a smaller percentage of hope, between 10% and 30%, that the project could be great if executed perfectly.
Professional Distance and Cast Dynamics
The writer also shared that he deliberately maintained a professional distance from the show's star-studded cast, including Brian Cox, while penning the finale. "I find it much harder to leave the actors, who I felt you had to keep a certain distance from. There's a professional necessity," he explained, citing the unpredictable nature of a TV series' lifespan.
This revelation follows recent comments from actor Brian Cox, who played media mogul Logan Roy. Cox praised the show's ending but expressed a belief that his character was killed off "too early" in the final season, wishing he had survived longer than the first three episodes.
Armstrong's candid interview sheds light on the unseen psychological challenges behind creating one of television's most lauded dramas, proving that even multiple Golden Globes cannot always silence the inner critic.
