Succession's Sarah Snook Has Her Own Explanation For Shiv's CEO Vote

One of the cruelest hours of television was released in May of 2023, and it came in the form of the "Succession" series finale. After five addicting years, the Roy family was finally going to get the answer to who would succeed patriarch Logan Roy at conservative media conglomerate, Waystar Royco. During the final season, the Roy siblings of Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Shiv (Sarah Snook), and Roman (Kieran Culkin) made a pact to all vote in favor of Kendall, but when the time came to publicly vocalize their allegiance, Shiv had a change of heart, and voted "no." The aftermath of her decision was explosive, causing Kendall to have a full-blown screaming meltdown and sparking a physical attack against Roman.

/Film's own Shae Sennett wrote an extensive breakdown of Shiv's decision and how it fits into the story of "Succession" as a whole, but thanks to a recent interview with Variety, Sarah Snook gave her own take on the situation. "I've spoken with friends of mine who love the show, and I quite like being able to dissect it with them. I have heard that people thought that Shiv was thinking 10 steps ahead and that if Tom's going to get the CEO-ship and she's got a kid with Tom, then the closest she can be to it is by saying 'No' in this moment," she said. "But I think it's just pure instinct."

This description makes sense considering Shiv's "No" comes out of her mouth with the same surprise as morning sickness. It doesn't appear thought-out, it sounds reflexive. 

"I think it's trigger response," said Snook. "It's scratching an open wound that is always there with the siblings and this was in the script in the big print — when she sees Kendall put his feet up on Dad's desk? There's something in her that goes like, 'Ahhhhh!' Sorry to swear, but 'Motherf***er!'" 

Sarah Snook has an incredible grasp on the character of Shiv Roy and has already gone on record to say that she would never be friends with someone like her in real life. Which means she also knows how Shiv feels inside and out. There was no way she could vote for Kendall, because that would have been a vote for the status quo. "It's just going to be the same as it always has been: I will always be pushed out," she said. "I don't think she's decided in that moment when they're in Dad's office to say no. But once it gets down to it in the room, she just can't physically bear to say yes."

Snook also told Variety that director Mark Mylod had the crew film Shiv actually going back into the room to officially vote, but that it wasn't a big scene which is why it inevitably wasn't included. "And then the fallout after that of realizing that Tom is CEO, and where do I stand and all of that — I guess that processing comes as it's been signed in the other boardroom scene with [Lukas] Matsson, and in the car. And then after, once the camera's finished rolling, where does she go now?"

Alas, the final question is one we will have to headcanon.