Christmas came early in the form of this giant interview with the cast of Succession in GQ. In fact, the only present that would make this holiday season even better would be the return of the HBO show this year rather than its most likely return in the spring of 2019. Instead, we'll have to settle with binge-watching the first season all over again — which many of us did over Thanksgiving — and savoring this anecdote about Nicholas Braun, who plays Cousin Greg on the drama, meeting Hillary and Bill Clinton.
Turns out, the former President and First Lady are fans of the show, or certainly were after Braun introduced himself to them at a party with Kendall Roy actor Jeremy Strong.
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"I brought Nick out to the Hamptons a couple of weekends ago," Strong told the outlet. "It was great. We ended up at a party with the Clintons and Paul McCartney, and they were big fans of Cousin Greg."
But first: In case you are new to the cult of Cousin Greg, welcome and thank you for reading this article. The awkward, bumbling side character became a stand-out on this summer show, which slowly won over audiences thanks to its smart and often darkly comic writing against the backdrop of wealth and power in America. But it's fun! Because Cousin Greg! Because Braun literally prepared for the role by having awkward conversations with people in public, according to the outlet, and kept his co-stars, particularly Matthew MacFadyen, in "giggles" constantly.
"Long story short, I’m told I’m gonna meet Hillary [Clinton]," Braun remembered. "I go and shake her hand, and I’m so excited and nervous; I think she’s amazing."
However, it's her husband Bill Clinton with whom he really struck up a report, lurking "Greg-style" as he finished telling a story, until — "he puts his hand out to me, and says, 'How’re you doing? Bill.' I’m like, 'Hey. Nick. Huge fan.' And somebody in the circle says, 'Oh, this is Nick Braun. He’s on this show. You’ll love it, Bill: Succession.'"
Before he knew it, Braun was talking with Clinton about corporate families, the politician's experience with Rupert Murdoch, and, of course, Succession.
"At one point he said, 'I’m gonna go home and I’m gonna watch the show—tonight. I’m gonna go watch it right now.' And I was like, 'That’s awesome. If you’d like to do a guest spot, we’d love to have you.' He said, 'I just might do that. That’d be fun.' It was so Greg-y."
If Bill Clinton and Cousin Greg are going to team up next season, then I need Hillary Clinton and Shiv (Sarah Snook) to do the same. Barack and Michelle Obama can come too.