Hope Davis On Sandi Finally Getting the Moment She’s Been Waiting for in ‘Succession’

Hope Davis is the consummate actor. Not only does she bring a hefty presence, but she knows how to work in a strong ensemble. She’s the perfect fit for Jesse Armstrong’s HBO sensation, Succession. As Sandi Furness (or Sandi with an i), Davis is introduced as a worthy adversary for the Roy family. She has been waiting for her opportunity to pounce on the business for years, and she won’t let anything stand in her way.

Being offered a role in Succession is a dream come true. This season introduced several heavy hitters (Adrien Brody, Alexander Skarsgård, and Sanaa Lathan all joined and earned Emmy nominations, thank you very much), but Sandi is the character that finds herself in the room with the Roy family’s lions den the most as a merger is being negotiated. Davis couldn’t believe her luck when her agent called.

“I had just binged the first two seasons of the show, and I thought my agent was joking. It couldn’t be real. At first, I was very excited, and then I was intimidated. What could I bring to something that was already so richly textured? When you get the scripts, Jesse [Armstrong] writes something that is so deliciously ambiguous that it can go in a million different directions. Walking down the hallway to the makeup room, I could hear all of their voices. I could hear Brian Cox’s booming, and I was nervous. Everyone was so welcoming, and I felt immediately comfortable. My first couple of scenes were with the family, so I dove right in. Suddenly, you’re stepping into Logan Roy’s office, and it was definitely a surreal experience.”

As a viewer, you can tell how generous the actors are when they perform with one another. You can’t get that chemistry without having a strong bond.

“Absolutely. You are talking over one another and exchanging little jabs, so you really have to be present. You can’t ever phone it in. You can tell there is comfort between them since they have been working on the show for three seasons, but there is something very exhilarating between these actors. They were so generous for someone walking onto their set. I was worried that I couldn’t find my way in, but everyone really extended a hand for me to jump on. I’m doing more things in season four that I am really looking forward for everyone to see.”

Davis and I discussed how we felt a true similarity to the structure of a Shakespearean epic. It all comes down to the words on the page, and the core ensemble of Succession is so skilled at that poisonous, jaunty repartee that they make it look easy. If the words didn’t feel alive and deadly, it wouldn’t come across on screen.

“There was only one Shakespeare, and there’s only one Jesse Armstrong. He’s on set when you shoot, and he’s just a brilliant human being. He has writers with him, and no one else can do what they can do. We did a readthrough of episode four of the fourth season, and I just laughed my socks off. That’s what people are so excited about, I think, when they watch it. It challenges you but it’s also hilarious, and you can’t believe that they won’t get up on one another.”

When we first meet Sandi, everything is calm. She is sitting in a conference room at her father’s side, but it’s clear that she is holding her cards close to her chest. Sandi is serving as a communicator to her ailing father, but she is looking for an opportunity to seal a deal that would both serve her family’s company as well as not rock the Waystar Royco boat too much.

“My take on Sandi is that she has been waiting in the wings for a long time. She has been standing at her father’s side, and she has been waiting to shine. She has no kids, this business is her life, and she’s never had a chance to be front and center. Her father is falling apart, and she is going to seize the day. She’s ready. Sandi is a force that they will have to contend with since she is a strong person. Sitting next to her father, she’s not making excuses for him. It’s so funny and tragic at the same time.”

Everyone presents a certain amount of ego on Succession, so it’s no surprise that our conversation veered towards Sandi’s personal consciousness when she is closing a deal. Season three also introduces Sandi as an complimentary figure to Sarah Snook’s Shiv Roy. Both of them know what it’s like to be a woman in a feral business world of men, and they both know how lonely that can be. Can it also be a strength they share?

“Sandi believes so strongly in herself, and I think she is cut from the same cloth that Shiv is. When Logan is about to give everything to Shiv, you automatically think, ‘That makes sense. Give it to her.’ My feeling is that Sandi feels the same way about a lot of things that Shiv does. Let the women take it over. Let me do it. We’re going to kill it in the best way, so you need to stand aside. I personally can’t imagine walking into a meeting like that and throwing my weight around. You have to have a strong ego and fearlessness.”

The Roy family is not the only powerful, privileged brood out there. We get a strong sense of how Sandi watched the Roys from afar, and the Roys, in turn, are eager to see Sandi up close and personal. They circle each other the entire third season, but are they underestimating this opponent? In separate scenes, both Shiv and Sandi say, ‘I just do what my father tells me.’ It’s both a jab but a way for her to tell them not to underestimate her.

“It’s also reflected in the Trump family, right? These kids can’t seem to get their moment in the sun. In the case of Sandi, her father is on his way out the door. It’s time for the old guard to step away whether it’s by a UTI or that he had syphilis. The families are similar, and Sandi thinks that she and Shiv could accomplish things together. Sandi says that line somewhat facetiously, but if they are going to play this game, [Sandi] will meet you there.”

Succession is streaming now on HBO Max.