The actor behind Roman Roy in HBO's Succession almost played the part of cousin Greg in the hit show. Succession follows the power struggles at the top of the fictional media conglomerate Waystar Royco, led by Logan Roy (Brian Cox), the patriarch of the often feuding Roy family. The Emmy winning series is currently airing its third season, in which Logan's son, Kendall (Jeremy Strong), is attempting to take his father down and assume control of the company. The show has already undergone several dramatic turns, with more civil war twists teased ahead.

The remaining ensemble includes the seemingly progressive Shiv Roy (Sarah Snook), her husband Tom Wambsgans (Matthew Macfadyan), and the first pancake sibling Connor Roy (Alan Ruck). The sarcastic and glib Roy sibling, Roman, is played by the actor Kieran Culkin, while the hapless Cousin Greg is played by Nicholas Braun. The show's cast has regularly been highlighted for critical acclaim. HBO recently renewed Succession for a fourth season.

Related: Succession Is TV's REAL Game Of Thrones Replacement (But There's A Catch)

Now, in an interview with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show, Culkin has revealed that he was initially intended to audition for Greg. As reported by The Wrap, Culkin says the shows producers wanted him for Greg but he felt he wasn't right for the part. Instead, he was more interested in reading for the part of Roman and liked the part so much that he kept reading the script when he ordinarily wouldn't. Read what Culkin said of the experience below:

"Normally, in any other script I would be like, 'OK, I'm not right for the part. I'm gonna close it. I'm not gonna continue reading on. But I just kind of liked the script, so I read on and I was like 'Oh, there's this guy!' whose first line is 'Hey, hey motherf---er.' So I thought 'Well, I kind of like this guy, I like the way he talks. I can do that. I asked, I was like, 'Can I audition for Roman?' and the response back was, 'We're not auditioning for that part yet.' But I just sort of put myself on tape anyway and sent it in."

The cast of Succession in a boardroom with Logan Roy standing in the center.

Culkin was ultimately right to lobby for the part. Since securing the role, he has garnered rave reviews and been nominated for an Emmy for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. The casting change may have been the best move for the show in general as Braun has become a fan favorite as cousin Greg and is often the most quotable character.

It is hard to imagine Culkin, who plays Roman as outlandish and often arrogant, as the seemingly meek and inexperienced Greg. Casting what-ifs often happen with successful films and TV shows, and they can be a fun way for fans to speculate how their favorites may have turned out with some different casting choices. But the casting in Succession has been excellent across the board. Culkin has even said that the part of Roman made him realize he truly wanted to be an actor.

Next: Succession Season 3: Why Kendall Is So Scared Of The Security Guard

Source: The Wrap