VoxBlog

Who Was Sarah Snook Before Becoming Shiv Roy In 'Succession'?

Sarah Snook currently plays heiress Siobhan ‘Shiv’ Roy in the critically acclaimed HBO series Succession. On the how, she plays a billionaire caught in an intense rivalry as Shiv and her siblings fight to take over the family company from their father (Brian Cox). It’s a role that has certainly brought Snook a great deal of recognition. In fact, the Australian actress had even received an Emmy nod for her performance in the series.

RELATED: How Nicholas Braun Really Feels About His Most Famous Scene In 'Succession'

Meanwhile, perhaps what fans don’t realize is that Snook has been working in Hollywood long before she even landed the role of Shiv. In fact, the actress has already worked on several other series over the years. Snook has already starred in a number of notable films too. Indeed, she’s kept things going since making her debut in the late 2000s.

Sarah Snook Started Out As A Stage Actress

Snook had been serious about acting long before she even moved to Hollywood. In fact, the actress won a drama scholarship at Scotch College in Adelaide, Australia. And while she may have managed to land some gigs, Snook struggled to book more jobs at one point. She felt quite disappointed early on. “I remember being in my 20s, desperately upset that I had no career prospects, but it’s just getting used to this industry,” the actress told Vogue Australia. “The more at ease you can become with volatility, the better off you’ll be.”

Lucky for Snook, she eventually booked several gigs in Australia. These include the tv series Spirited and the film These Final Hours. Soon enough, Snook made her big break in Hollywood too, thanks to a film by Brisbane-based brothers, Peter and Michael Spierig.

Sarah Snook Once Took On Dual Roles For This Ethan Hawke Sci-Fi Film

In the 2014 film Predestination, Snook plays The Unmarried Mother, a character that presents itself as a man (John) and woman (Jane) in the film. From the beginning, the Spierig brothers, who also wrote the film, knew finding the right actor for the role may even be impossible. “There was a lot of apprehensions when we wrote it, wondering who we were going to cast to make it work, so the audience connects on an emotional element,” Michael told SBS. “It was the hardest decision we had to make, whether we could be bold and find a person who could play both genders. We could have cast two different actors, but it wouldn't have been as interesting.” Fortunately, they found Snook when they did. “We’re so proud of her.”

RELATED: 10 Shows To Watch After HBO Max's Love Life

As for Snook, she went in convinced that playing the male character would be more challenging than the female one, only to realize later on that it was the other way around. “I thought, ‘Well hey, I'm female, I can probably do that easier.’ But, in the end, I actually found that the hardest [part] because of not knowing quite where to pitch Jane,” Snook explained during an interview with Gizmodo. “She needed to be feminine enough to be a woman, and then masculine enough to be able to become a man — and believe that that transformation could have happened, or that she had that inside her anyway.”

Sarah Snook Has Already Worked With This A-Lister Twice

After Predestination, Snook continued to book film roles. This includes the Oscar-nominated film Steve Jobs, which is headlined by Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, and Seth Rogen. In the film, she portrays publicist Andrea Cunningham who worked on the first Mac launch. On meeting her real-life counterpart, Snook told Vanity Fair, “She’s so down to earth and normal and excited…. It was really great to meet her.”

At the same time, the actress also couldn’t help but gush over her A-list co-star Winslet. “Working with Kate was a big moment for me,” Snook admitted. “Like: ‘Wow, this is a big star who I’ve always looked up to.’” She also couldn’t believe her luck when ended up working on another film with Winslet right after Steve Jobs. This time, it’s the 2015 comedy-drama The Dressmaker. “It was a strange circumstance to be able to shoot with her on The Dressmaker in Australia and then Steve Jobs in San Francisco back-to-back,” Snook explained. “Like: ‘Oh, friend. G’day.’ As a person in life, and as an actress, she’s a good example of how I’d like to be.”

Sarah Snook Has Also Ventured Into Streaming Briefly

While she may be busy with film projects, Snook also once took the time to star in the critically acclaimed Netflix series Black Mirror. In the episode Men Against Fire, the actress portrays Medina, a soldier sent out to kill anyone genetically inferior, which were referred to as “roaches.”

RELATED: The Real Reason Lena Dunham Got Fired From An HBO Show

And while Snook has never returned to do another episode of Black Mirror, the actress did star in the Netflix drama Pieces of a Woman. The film centers on a woman mourning the loss of her baby, played by Vanessa Kirby. It also stars Shia LaBeouf.

Meanwhile, fans can look forward to seeing more of Snook’s Shiv in Succession. HBO recently announced that it’s renewed the series for a fourth season.

NEXT: Mark Wahlberg Hypes His New HBO Show 'Wahl Street'

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTErZ%2Bippeoe6S7zGiuoaddrK60edKaqZqgXai7sLvKZpmenp%2Bnsm6uxJympqGenHq0tMivZKunqWK2r3nSrpqcnaOotrC6jLCfmqxdnsButMSrZJqbk5q7tXs%3D

Aldo Pusey

Update: 2024-07-12