NEW YORK (AP) – Someday soon, someone will be walking down the street proudly carrying a ludicrously capacious bag, bought for a ludicrously capacious price.
The voluminous Burberry tote is one of the most famous props used on Succession, the famed HBO saga of the Roy family dynasty, and it sold at auction recently for USD18,750.
But that bag, which became notorious when Matthew Macfadyen’s Tom Wambsgans savagely ridiculed it, wasn’t even the priciest item sold from the set of the addictive drama.
No, that was a set of pink index cards containing Roman Roy’s eulogy notes for his father’s funeral – a speech he never gave. Beginning, “My father Logan Roy was a great man”, the four cards represent the tragic failure of Roman (Kieran Culkin) to meet the moment. They have a new life now with someone who paid USD25,000 and hopefully will frame them nicely.
The online auction on behalf of HBO at Heritage Auctions in Dallas, brought in a total of USD627,825 for 236 lots. The results showed not only that people loved the show, says Heritage spokesperson Robert Wilonsky, but also that meaningful objects, and not the show’s high-end “stealth” fashion, clicked most with bidders.
“At the end of the day, it was key moments of the show that resonated with fans,” he said.
Props often take a back seat to costumes. After all, there’s no award for “best props” at awards shows, like there is for costumes, notes Succession prop master Monica Jacobs, who joined the show after the pilot episode. But prop departments go to extreme lengths to secure just the right item – even if it only appears for a few seconds. Jacobs shared the origin stories of some of the show’s most iconic props.
DRIED SCORPIONS IN THE OVEN
Why did Tom give wife Shiv Roy (Sarah Snook) a paperweight of a dried scorpion encased in resin? Who knows? It certainly illustrated the turbulence of their marriage – and also caused a few turbulent hours in Jacobs’ kitchen at home.
“It turns out you can buy (dead) scorpions pretty easily,” she said, “but they’re small. Getting them large enough was not easy.”
Once she had a bunch – duplicates are always needed – she had to soak them to loosen up the glue so that she could reposition them for maximum effect. She stabilised them with wire and slow-baked them for hours on low heat until they were dry enough to be encased.
All for a brief appearance. And maybe a spot on someone’s desk: a duplicate sold for a cool (and baked) USD10,000.
MOURNFUL WORDS
Roman’s sad, pink notecards with that eulogy never spoken were not the only scribbled words that went for a fortune. On the day Logan died on his private plane, Shiv was the one who spoke to the waiting press.
“You’ll understand I won’t be taking questions,” she said, in part, “but my brothers and I just want to say Logan Roy built a great American family company…”
The words were written in block letters in Snook’s own handwriting. She did the first card and then, for duplicates, her writing was recreated. Likewise, Culkin’s handwriting inspired his pink notecards, Jacobs said. As for Jeremy Strong, who played Kendall, he often preferred to write every copy himself. Shiv’s speech card went for USD17,500.
THAT… BAG
Let’s just say Bridget, the date of Cousin Greg (Nicholas Braun) at Logan’s birthday party, made an unfortunate accessory choice. Tom, in his worst “human-grease-stain” way, imagined aloud what could be in the “ludicrously capacious” tote: “Flat shoes for the subway? Her lunch pail? … You could take it camping. You could slide it across the floor after a bank job.”
Jacobs explained that finding the perfect bag to match the script was a collaboration between the props and wardrobe departments.
“Everybody brought in a version,” she said. “We had to decide, how big IS this bag, actually?” Also – it needed to be just the right level of high-end, “not enough for the Roy world, but still higher end than I am,” she quipped. Ultimately, costume designer Michelle Matland “had the vision,” Jacobs said.
The winning bidder also got an embroidered Sandro dress.
MAKING THOSE MAGAZINES LOOK REAL
When the Roys appear on the cover of New York magazine, you might think it’s just a matter of slapping together a few pages in the art studio. But no.
It begins with a real issue of the magazine, to get the weight and the size exactly right. Then, not just the cover but inner pages are created too, and carefully incorporated.
“It’s a very delicate process” to make the magazine look authentic, Jacobs says. “We’re very picky about how we do it.” The cover sold for USD10,000.
SOME OF THOSE SAUSAGES WERE REAL
Remember that horrific game, or hazing ritual, that Logan inflicted on his poor executives, forcing them to grunt like an animal and beg for sausages? Some sausages were real, as needed, and some fake. (A group of prop sausages went for USD5,250).
But mostly, food – at weddings, or other gatherings – was not only real but intricate, evocative of the locale, and fun to create, said Jacobs.
“Every cheese board has to be a little different than the last time we did a cheese board,” she said. “We got very creative.”
SAME WITH THE THE CREDIT CARDS
Three lots of Roy family credit cards were auctioned, but they won’t be accepted at your local supermarket. The cards were crafted by a graphic designer, then sent for printing at a special shop in New York, on either plastic or metal.
“The plastic ones are are actually much more durable as props,” said Jacobs. “But,” she added, “with Succession characters it made sense for most of them to be metal.”
Indeed. Kendall’s cards – two American Express Platinums, two Mastercards and one driver’s license – went for USD10,000. – Jocelyn Noveck
