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Shes alsobetrayed by Tom, who gave Logan a heads-up about the plan to take him down.
It was a lot.
Lets start with episode eight.
Now shes saying, Speak up, but her motivation is the same.
Did you try that scene a few different ways?Yeah, we did.
What shes saying is not wrong.
Its just not totally right.
Its not the thing you would hope someone does in that moment.
Well, shes saying the right things but for the wrong reasons and motivations.Exactly.
And its patronizing, really.
And shes got her fathers last name.
But the idea of Gerri against Shiv is very intriguing to me.Oh, totally.
The writers get inspired by what happens onscreen and what collaborations or scenes work in what ways.
Do you ever have moments where youre like,My God, this is so awful.
I know Im in character, but …Oh, totally.
Because we barely got through them when she was being so horrible to Tom this season.
Youve got no other recourse but to have a giggle.
But that scene as well theyre always on the miss.
Theyre miscommunicating in so many different ways.
A lot of the time, Shiv thinks theyre on the same page.
Shes just not aware of the subtle changes in Tom.
I do think she genuinely loves Tom.
I do think hes the person for her, in her mind.
Lets talk about the finale.
I had no idea until the end.
What was it like shooting that?
I think it was 35, 36 degrees Celsius.
Youre getting full sun from the top and then white reflected sun from the bottom with the dust.
And Im in high heels, and its a 45-degree incline.
Theres rocks and stones.
Its a tight dress, and my makeup is melting off.
And now its windy.
I cant see through this eye.
It was like maybe top-ten worst days on set ever in my entire career.
But I think because of that, you have to battle through and find a way to do something.
In the end, that gives you more obstacles, more conflict, more to overcome.
You have to double down on what you believe the scene is about for your character.
In that scene, shes got a lot going on.
Shes able to compartmentalize, and when its useful, its great.
But this is a really big thing:Great.
Dads about to screw us over.
This is very high stakes now.
My feeling was Shiv was dismissive of Kendall as that conversation began.
Some sympathy for sure, but its a tricky thing in that theyre related, theyre siblings.
I want to talk about the scene in which you all confront Logan.
Theres this moment when you say, Hey, we have a supermajority, and he imitates you.
Was that in the script or did Brian Cox improvise that?No, that was in the script.
Its like,Ugh, God.
Youre a grown man.
It felt like something he would not do to Roman or Kendall or even Connor.
The fact that shes a woman Yeah.
He might do it to Roman, but youre right.
Its rare that he would.
It felt very much like,Youre whining.Yeah.Youre being hysterical.
Hes going to retire, and he wants to know the company is going to be amazing.
Whereas if he hands it to someone else, he can still be in a semblance of control.
And also because Lukas Mattson is not part of the family.
I think theres a separation of accountability.
He wouldnt like that.100 percent.
I think in the script, it was, Logan slaps Tom on the back.
And then thats it.
There was no Tom entering the room.
I want to know what happens to everybody in the next season.
Thats so juicy to leave it there.
The script: Logan leaves.
Theres the bit with Roman and the top tier, then theres the backslap.
I dont think in the script there was, Hey, Shiv, from Tom.
He comes in, and hes concerned and all that stuff.Thats not scripted.
Because originally, if it was just that backslap, and you see Shiv, then thats it.
You dont see Tom and Shiv come together, and you dont see them do anything.
When you talked to Hunter, you said you like the idea of the finale being a cliffhanger.
And it is because Kendall realizes Tom ratted them out to Logan.
Obviously, Shiv does.
Tom doesnt know Shiv knows.
And Roman doesnt seem to know anything because hes too upset to pay attention.
Those different levels of knowledge are fascinating.Its brilliant, yeah.
I think thats somethingSuccessiondoes really well: the different levels of knowledge everybody has at one time.
We love performing them, and I think Jesse likes writing them and the writers like writing them.
Theres the cross-purpose between Roman and Gerri that theres a relationship there.
Then theres the Tom and Shiv bit.
Its a very rich melting pot.
At this point, have you had any conversations about the next season?No.
I was like [gasps],Not even I know.
God, I want to know something.
Do you know when they start writing again?
I know it just ended, but Im like,Lets go.
I dont know even if theyve thought about that.
Do you look at how people react online after an episode like the finale?
It generated a huge amount of conversation.
Ive heard there are a few memes of that last Shiv look.
There are a ton of the three of you when you have your hand on Kendalls head.Yeah.
Theres one I saw that I was like,Oh, wow.
I was like,Oh, man, thats so clever.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
