‘Succession’ editor Ken Eluto on the finale’s shocking Kendall-Roman scene: They ‘did so many different versions’ [Exclusive Video Interview]

Ken Eluto is a nine-time Emmy Award nominee and past winner who served as the editor of 16 “Succession” episodes during its four-season run, including the series finale, “With Open Eyes.” So it perhaps goes without saying that Eluto knew very well what the Emmy Award-winning drama’s final episode required in the editing room – even if the initial cut of the 88-minute final bordered on two hours.

“There was a lot of trimming and cutting to do. But I don’t think we particularly lost any whole scenes,” Eluto tells Gold Derby in an exclusive video interview. “It was a lot of back and forth [with director Mark Mylod and creator and writer Jesse Armstrong]. We tried a lot of things to get down to time. But it was a great experience. I enjoyed working on the show.”

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Emmy voters enjoyed “With Open Eyes” too. Eluto is nominated this year for the show’s series finale, an episode star Jeremy Strong submitted for his Emmy-nominated performance as well. “With Open Eyes” provided Strong with some of his best material of the year, including a key sequence opposite Emmy nominee Kieran Culkin. In the scene, Kendall (Strong) and Roman (Culkin) engage in a final conversation about taking over for their father, Logan (Emmy nominee Brian Cox), and share an embrace that ends with Kendall opening up stitches on Roman’s forehead. The sequence is ambiguous – either illustrating Kendall’s abusive tendencies inherited from his father or his fundamental understanding that Roman needed a sadomasochistic release. 

“That’s an interesting scene to bring up because they did so many different versions of it,” Eluto says. “I thought all of them were good, but just [Strong and Culkin] were trying different things.” 

Eluto says, “Initially it was more Kendall pushing Roman into his shoulder and trying to open up the stitches. But Roman also needs an excuse for why it isn’t him.” Mylod and Armstrong, Eluto adds, wanted “it to be Roman kind of pushing himself into Kendall’s shoulder.”

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Little editing tweaks like that are littered throughout the finale. For instance, Eluto says Roman’s final appearance on the show – when the character wordlessly orders a martini, the drink of choice of his former mentor and object of some affection, Gerri (Emmy nominee J. Smith-Cameron), initially had more dialogue.

“I wasn’t sure we needed the scene at all,” Eluto says, noting Roman had a big final moment when he is forced to sign over the company to Lukas Matsson instead of his siblings. But after some discussions with Armstrong, the choice was made to go back to Roman one last time. “I went back to that scene and I thought, ‘Well, maybe we just take out the dialogue, just have him have the drink and have those looks on his face, which worked well.”

“Succession” is nominated for 27 Emmys this year, including Best Drama Series.

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