“A profound betrayal”: Jeremy Strong reflects on his infamous New Yorker profile

Jeremy Strong has opened up about his New Yorker profile, which offered some insights into his method of acting. During an interview with Vanity Fair at the Telluride Film Festival on September 2, Strong added that the story felt like a “profound betrayal of trust.”

For the unversed, the New Yorker's profile on the Succession star, which came out on December 5, 2021, suggested that the actor's approach to acting could cause some kind of tension between him and his co-actors. Titled, On Succession, Jeremy Strong Doesn't Get the Joke, the profile became a top story as soon as it was published.

Calling the story "painful" and "foolish," the actor noted:

“The noise and the fog after it: I think it’s something that, I guess, what I care about ultimately is trying to feel as free as possible as an actor. Part of that is trying to insulate yourself from all of that, and what people might say about you or think about you. You have to free yourself from that.”

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Here's everything Jeremy Strong said about his infamous New Yorker profile

During his appearance at the Telluride Film Festival for the the movie Armageddon Time, Strong noted that the article published about him in The New Yorker did not sit well with him.

Opening up about it, Strong, 43, quipped that the profile “maybe ultimately said more about the person writing it and their perspective, which is a valid perspective than it did about who I feel I am and what I'm about.” He noted:

“It was painful. I felt foolish. As an actor, one of the most vital secret weapons that you can have is the ability to tolerate feeling foolish.”

Speaking about his method of approaching his characters, the actor said:

“Acting is something that’s hard to talk about without sounding self-serious, but it is something that I feel very seriously about and care about and have devoted my life to.”

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Fellow co-actors support Jeremy Strong

While the profile suggested that Strong's approach to acting could create tensions between him and his co-stars, many Hollywood celebrities came to his defense and spoke against the same. One such celebrity was the Oscar-winning actress Jessica Chastain, who called Strong "inspiring & passionate about his work." She tweeted:

"Ive known Jeremy Strong for 20yrs & worked with him on 2 films. Hes a lovely person. Very inspiring & passionate about his work. The profile that came out on him was incredibly one sided. Don't believe everything you read folks. Snark sells but maybe its time we move beyond it. [sic]"

Anne Hathaway took to Instagram to support Jeremy Strong and posted a picture of him holding an Emmy award. A portion of her caption read:

"As the week ends, I would like to send some love to Jeremy Strong who I’m lucky enough to have worked with twice and who I am proud to consider a friend. I deeply value his qualities of thoughtfulness, sincerity, authenticity, sweetness, depth, kindness, generosity, as well as his powerful intelligence and extraordinary sensitivity."

Jeremy Strong's co-star, Justine Lupe, who stars with him in Succession, noted that The New Yorker's profile on him showed his "relentless commitment."