Why Succession’s Sarah Snook First Turned Down Her Role as Shiv

It’s hard to imagine a world in which Succession‘s Sarah Snook didn’t play Shiv Roy, but it almost happened.

As it turns out, the Australian actress shared that she initially turned down the opportunity to star in the HBO series. Why? Because of the misogynistic nature of the business world the show was replicating. “If the world is going to be interested in a bunch of white dudes talking about business,” she explained to Variety, “and if I’m the only woman in that, then I’m likely to get sidelined and be like some sort of prop.”

Of course, Snook ultimately (and thankfully) changed her mind, putting her trust in writer Jesse Armstrong. Sarah told herself, “You may be one of the only women in the pilot, but that doesn’t mean that you’re going to get sidelined necessarily and maybe this is an opportunity for you to just fight for female characters.”