Jessica Chastain and Aaron Sorkin Defend Jeremy Strong Against "Distorted" Virus Article

Actor Jeremy Strong, who plays recovering addict and sometimes failed businessman Kendall Roy in HBO's "Succession," has made a name for himself both for his performance and for the extraordinary effort he puts into delivering that performance. A profile of Strong in The New Yorker magazine details his acting methods and has also drawn a response from those quoted in the profile. Now fellow actors like Jessica Chastain and Aaron Sorkin, who directed Strong in The Trial of the Chicago 7, are speaking out against what they call Jeremy Strong's unfair characterization.

In an article in The New Yorker magazine, writer Michael Schulman described Strong as having "a relentless, sometimes emphatic intensity" and acting with "the solemnity of a monk," and noted that Schulman sprayed real tear gas when acting in scenes with hundreds of people He noted that Shulman demanded that he spray real tear gas when acting in scenes with hundreds of people.

"Anyone who has worked with Strong will tell you that he goes to extraordinary lengths," Shulman wrote.

Chastain and Sorkin, who worked with Strong on "Molly's Game," have issued statements since the profile was published. 'I've known Jeremy Strong for 20 years and we've worked together on two movies. He's a wonderful guy. Very inspiring and passionate about his work," Chastain tweeted on December 7. 'The profile that was published about him was incredibly one-sided. Folks, please don't believe everything you read. Bad press sells, but maybe it's time for us to move beyond it."

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Chastain was only mentioned briefly in the profile, but Aaron Sorkin was quoted, disputing what was (and what was not) included from his response On December 10, Chastain tweeted a statement on Sorkin's behalf. He wrote: "Aaron Sorkin does not have social media so he asked me to post this letter on his behalf.

"I believe I helped Mr. Shulman create what I believe to be a distorted image of Jeremy that requires him to roll his eyes at Jeremy's acting process," Sorkin wrote in the statement. He also included full responses to Shulman's questions, which the writer and director answered via email. Sorkin's views on Strong's acting process are excluded from the article. Jeremy is not a crank," Sorkin wrote. Jeremy is not a crank," Sorkin writes. But he is building his own on-ramp so that by the time the director calls it "action," he has already begun acting."

The director's view is that "Jeremy is not a weirdo.

Contractually, the profile includes an unflattering anecdote about Strong's acting on the set of "The Judge" with Robert Downey Jr. Robert Downey Jr. told me, "All I know is that he crossed the Rubicon."

"When Downey filmed the funeral scene, Strong walked around the set crying loudly, even though he had not been called that day," Shulman wrote. He demanded props that weren't in the script."

"He was like an annoying gnat. It was like an annoying gnat that was trying to get rid of him.

Shulman also noted the fact that Downey and Strong's family vacationed together this summer at Sting's villa in Italy.

Brian Cox, who plays family patriarch Logan Roy in Succession, appeared on "Late Night with Seth Myers" on December 8 and clarified his statement in his profile. He told Myers, "All I can say about Jeremy's approach is that what comes out of the other side is working." He's a great father. He's a very unique person. But he's so into his work. If you can't detach yourself, i.e., deal with these subjects every day, then you can't live with them.

The New Yorker also responded to the controversy surrounding the viral article. It's a nuanced, multifaceted portrait of a very committed actor," a rep for the magazine told Deadline on December 10. . including one who said he was even more impressed with Jeremy Strong's artistry after reading the article."

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