J. Smith-Cameron Talks Potential ‘Succession’ Spin-Off: Gerri Is ‘Probably Thriving’ With Tom
Only one year after the Succession series finale, J. Smith-Cameron doesn’t think it’s too soon for a spin-off.
Smith-Cameron, 66, portrayed Gerri Kellman on the Emmy-winning HBO show, and spoke to Us Weekly as part of her partnership with Jif, which is unveiling a new innovation: Jif Peanut Butter & Chocolate Flavored Spread.
For those who need a refresher, Succession ended with Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyen) as the new CEO of WayStar Royco. He ultimately hired Gerri as part of his team.
“I think that she's thriving with her new partnership with Tom and Lukas [Mattson],” Smith-Cameron said.
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She added that Gerri would not have to deal with the old Roy hierarchy, which would be an ideal fit for her.
“I used to have this theory that Logan, the minute he made a favorite anyone, whether [it] was Kendall or Shiv or Roman or Jerry or Frank, they immediately got shifted into the doghouse in some way because he didn't want anyone to take over,” she explained. “And so I feel like without having to deal with the Roy hierarchy, she's probably thriving…I think she likes not having the target on her back…I think she likes being the power behind the throne kind of thing.”
It’s possible that we could one day find out if Smith-Cameron is right. While the future of the franchise is up to series creator Jesse Armstrong, Smith-Cameron believes the show’s premise will remain timely.
“I think it's very timely,”she said. “I don't know if Jesse and his colleagues are up to it yet, or if they ever will be. I think it's a great idea because if you just look [at] what's going on right now in our country and really globally, there's a lot of the things that were happening in the last couple seasons with politics and journalism and fake news and abuse of power and all of that. It's extremely pertinent.”
She added, “If he waits a year or two, it's still timely. I think it would be great if he uses all the exact characters or makes up new ones. I think he's paved the way for a very sharp and funny show if he wants to do it.”
And if he does, fans could potentially see Gerri and Roman (Kieran Culkin) rekindle their romance. Smith-Cameron, however, isn’t convinced that would be in the cards.
“He's kind of shot himself in the foot, hasn't he?” she said, alluding to when Roman fired her near the end of the series. “I think things were pretty bitter at the end.”
With reporting by Mandie DeCamp
