If you’ve ever binge-watched Succession and found yourself both terrified and weirdly obsessed with Shiv Roy, you’re not alone. Sarah Snook absolutely ate in that role, delivering ice-cold stares, corporate savagery, and power suits with the kind of precision that made Shiv one of TV’s most unforgettable characters. Behind all that boardroom bravado, though? A wildly talented Aussie actress with layers we rarely see offscreen.
Sarah didn’t just play the game; she redefined it. And while we know her as the cunning Roy sibling who could emotionally devastate someone with a single eyebrow raise, there’s so much more to her than HBO boardrooms and billion-dollar backstabs.
From almost turning down the role that changed her life to memorizing 60,000 words while literally breastfeeding, proving she’s that girl. We dug up some seriously unexpected facts about Sarah Snook that’ll leave you even more obsessed. Let’s get into it.
1. Almost turned down Shiv
Can you imagine Succession without Sarah Snook as Shiv Roy? Because it almost happened. When the role of Shiv was first offered, Sarah was hesitant. Like, seriously hesitant. On paper, it looked like yet another token female character thrown into a testosterone-fueled narrative. She feared Shiv would just be “a prop”, a sidekick to the endless power plays between the Roy men. And honestly? Can we blame her? We’ve seen that movie before.
But luckily, she didn’t slam the door shut right away. After some thoughtful back-and-forth with the show’s creators, who assured her that Shiv would grow into a fully fleshed-out force of nature, Snook took the leap. And thank God she did. Not only did Shiv evolve into one of the most complex characters on television, but her performance also turned her into a legitimate household name and earned her global acclaim (and a few shiny award nominations, too).
The twist is that the almost-missed opportunity ultimately became the role of a lifetime. So next time Shiv walks into a room with that trademark calm menace, just remember: it was this close to never happening. Iconic things almost always come from a gut-check moment, and Sarah clearly made the right call.
2. Snook is an accent chameleon
If you’ve spent multiple seasons of Succession fully convinced that Sarah Snook is American… welcome to the club. With a pitch-perfect Stateside accent and all that sharp corporate lingo flying off her tongue, she had even the most trained ears fooled. But plot twist, she’s actually a full-blown Aussie.
That’s right. Sarah Snook hails from Adelaide, Australia, and her real voice sounds nothing like the cold, calculated tones of Shiv Roy. In fact, she’s such a chameleon with accents that she’d sometimes accidentally slip into a British one on set, thanks to co-stars like Matthew Macfadyen (who plays Tom and is, surprise, very British IRL).
The accent flip-flopping got so real at times that even the cast and crew would raise eyebrows mid-scene. But honestly? It just proves how next-level her vocal range is. She doesn’t just “do” accents, she lives in them. And considering how much of Shiv’s dominance is wrapped up in that sharp, commanding voice, it’s wild to think it’s not even her native one.
3. Her first job as Fairy Lavender
Before red carpets and Emmy nods, Sarah Snook was out here sprinkling glitter and fairy dust at kids’ birthday parties. Seriously.
While studying at drama school, her very first paid acting gig was playing a character named Fairy Lavender, a whimsical, winged party performer who sang songs, played games, and kept toddlers entertained while hopped up on cake and juice boxes. And honestly? It’s kind of perfect. What better training ground for a high-pressure acting career than managing a group of chaotic five-year-olds in a sugar frenzy?
It’s the kind of humble beginning that feels almost too good to be true. But Sarah has talked about it with pride, proving she’s never lost that grounded, tongue-in-cheek sense of humor. She’s said that it wasn’t glamorous, but it was formative and an integral part of her journey.
4. She almost played Lisbeth Salander
Sarah Snook almost became that girl with the dragon tattoo. According to various reports, including Entertainment Weekly, Sarah was one of the contenders to play Lisbeth Salander in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
You know the role: dark hoodie, piercings, hacker genius, emotionally tormented icon. The part ultimately went to Rooney Mara (who crushed it), but just imagine Snook in that leather jacket, riding a motorcycle through the icy streets of Stockholm.
What’s wild is how much range this one tidbit reveals. We’re so used to seeing her in buttoned-up power suits, taking meetings and delivering surgical insults as Shiv Roy, but this close call proves she was this close to leading a gritty thriller franchise. She can clearly tap into edgy, mysterious energy when the moment calls for it.
5. Snook is an avid AI advocate
Sarah Snook isn’t just a phenomenal actress; she’s also fiercely vocal about protecting the craft of acting. During the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, she stood alongside thousands of creatives, demanding fair treatment in the age of artificial intelligence and calling for strong, non-negotiable boundaries around how AI is used in entertainment.
And she didn’t sugarcoat it. Sarah spoke out about how automation threatens not just jobs, but the essence of human performance, something that can’t (and shouldn’t) be replicated by algorithms or deepfakes. For someone who just won awards for a one-woman show where she portrayed 26 different characters, it’s no surprise she’s passionate about keeping the soul in storytelling.
She’s been clear that AI might be helpful in some corners of production, but when it comes to the emotional core of acting — the spark between human beings on screen — it’s non-negotiable. Her stance has made her a standout voice in ongoing conversations about the future of film and TV.
So while Shiv Roy might’ve played corporate chess without blinking, Sarah Snook is out here fighting for the entire creative community. Real, raw, and very human.
6. One-woman Broadway feat
In 2024, Sarah Snook pulled off what can only be described as theatrical sorcery. She didn’t just star in The Picture of Dorian Gray; she was the entire cast. All 26 characters. Every monologue, every voice shift, every moment of tension and transformation? All Snook.
It was a jaw-dropping, solo performance that ran first in London, where she snagged an Olivier Award, and then on Broadway, where she took home a Tony. Audiences and critics alike were floored. Imagine watching someone jump between aristocratic men, gossipy socialites, tortured lovers, and sinister narrators without missing a beat. That’s not just acting, that’s an Olympic-level mental and emotional workout.
The performance became the theater event of the year and cemented Sarah’s status as not just a screen queen but a stage legend. And let’s be real: not every actor could even attempt something like this, let alone own it. It was ambitious, haunting, technically wild, and completely hers.
From HBO’s boardrooms to Broadway’s spotlight, Sarah Snook showed the world she’s got range for days. And she made it look effortless, even though we know it was anything but.
7. Prepped with Taylor Swift’s method
How do you mentally and physically prepare to perform The Picture of Dorian Gray solo, every. Single. Role — night after night on stage? If you’re Sarah Snook, you take a page out of Taylor Swift’s playbook.
In an interview with The New Yorker, Sarah revealed that she modeled her entire prep routine after Swift’s legendary tour discipline. We’re talking full-on health mode, no alcohol, no caffeine, early bedtimes, and cardio while rehearsing lines. Yes, treadmill monologues were part of the grind. And honestly? It tracks. Both women are at the top of their game and are committed to giving their all. Night after night, audience after audience.
This method wasn’t about vanity or trendiness; it was about stamina. Doing 26 roles back-to-back without breaks meant she needed the focus and physical endurance of an athlete. And like Swift, Snook treated rehearsal like a ritual. Respect the body, protect the voice, sharpen the mind.
The result? A next-level performance that left audiences breathless and critics scrambling for new superlatives. Turns out, channeling your inner Taylor Swift might be the secret to theatrical domination. Or at least a killer Tony Award.
8. Memorized 60K words while breastfeeding
Let’s just go ahead and crown Sarah Snook the queen of multitasking. While preparing for her one-woman stage marathon in The Picture of Dorian Gray, Snook wasn’t just memorizing a script; she was memorizing 60,000 words of nonstop dialogue. And she did it while caring for her newborn baby. Yes, memorizing while breastfeeding was literally part of her prep routine.
During her Tony acceptance speech, she casually dropped this detail like it was no big deal, but everyone else was rightfully stunned. Most of us can’t even remember what we walked into a room for, and here she is, learning an entire play while doing 3 AM feedings in the dark. Superhuman doesn’t even begin to cover it.
She described using every possible moment, rocking her baby to sleep, middle-of-the-night wake-ups, and quiet daytime feedings, to recite lines in her head. It wasn’t just about efficiency; it was about survival in the most creative, determined way.
That monologue-heavy performance earned her both a Tony and an Olivier, and it’s safe to say the phrase “working mom” now has a new gold standard. Sarah Snook didn’t just memorize a play; she rewrote the rulebook on what’s possible for women in the arts.
9. She’s halfway to EGOT status
Sarah Snook is officially halfway to EGOT. After sweeping up an Emmy for her powerhouse turn as Shiv Roy in Succession and a Tony for her jaw-dropping solo performance in The Picture of Dorian Gray, she now has two out of the four major entertainment awards under her belt. Emmy? Check. Tony? Check. Oscar and Grammy? Still pending, but honestly, at this rate, it’s not a matter of if, it’s when.
What makes it even more exciting is how effortlessly she’s jumped between mediums (TV, film, stage) and genres. Give her Shakespeare? She’ll slay it. Give her an HBO family feud? She’ll destroy souls with a single stare. Give her 26 characters to play on a lonely stage with nothing but lighting cues? She’ll turn it into art history.
With her versatility, the possibilities are endless. Maybe she’ll produce an award-winning audiobook or show up in a film that lands her the Oscar gold. Maybe even an animated voice role with a surprise Grammy for Best Spoken Word?
All we know is, Sarah Snook is coming for that EGOT crown, and she’s not walking, she’s power-striding.
You can watch all seasons of Succession now on HBO Max.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
