‘Succession’ Star Brian Cox Examines His Past in ‘Finding Your Roots’ First Look (VIDEO)

Finding Your Roots is cutting a deal with one of TV’s most formidable moguls, or at least, an actor who plays one as Succession‘s Brian Cox teams up with the PBS series to learn more about his lineage.

In an exclusive sneak peek at the episode airing January 31, Cox sits down with host Henry Louis Gates Jr. to examine his history which includes a tough childhood. “You know, it was pretty awful, really,” Cox says honestly, “even though I didn’t feel it at the time.”

(Credit: PBS)

“I’ve never felt depressed or anything like that about it,” he continues. “But it was just… you just learned to cope.” According to the episode’s logline, the episode will delve into Cox’s family’s connection to workhouses in Scotland, but for the time being, he reflects on his parents and his memory of them.

“My dad died when I was 8. My mom had mental breakdowns, which meant that she had electric shock treatment and all kinds of things happened to her, and she became non-functional,” Cox explains.

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“So I grew up without any parental guidance whatsoever,” the actor known for playing Logan Roy on HBO elaborates further. So, how did he manage to get by? Cox explains more about how he coped and got by in the full clip above, but viewers will get even more insight from the episode airing on PBS.

The installment will also highlight Viola Davis whose connection to slave plantations in South Carolina will be explored. Don’t miss the illuminating episode, see what’s in store for Cox and Davis as Finding Your Roots digs into their pasts, and check out the sneak peek, above, for a taste of what’s to come.

Finding Your Roots, Tuesdays, 8/7c, PBS (Check your local listings)