Season two of “Loot” has come to an end, and while we’re not sure of what Apple TV+‘s metrics for success are these days, anyone who has logged into the streamer can’t help but notice how often the comedy series is the most watched program in its top 10. That’s probably good news for the show’s creators, Alan Yang and Matt Hubbard, as well as executive producer and star Maya Rudolph. Especially considering the predicament they put Rudolph’s character, Molly Wells, in the season’s semi-cliffhanger.
Oh, and it goes without saying, significant spoilers ahead as we recap season two with Rudolph herself.
After having significant success with her philanthropic efforts in the Los Angeles area, Molly is betrayed by her “friend” Grace (Ana Gasteyer) and a silly Illuminati group of billionaires who want to stop her affordable housing initiative from going nationwide. Rudolph says it certainly feels like two steps forward and one step back for Molly. And, like many of us, she can relate.
“Sometimes things you’re doing are good, and no good deed goes unpunished. Next thing you know, everything is blown up in your face,” Rudolph says. “I feel like that’s happened in my life so many times where you feel like what I was doing, all the right things, what happened? But I know from the ashes, something wonderful always arises, this is just incredibly painful to go through. So, hopefully it allows us to continue on with her to God knows where. What I love about this character is that she really is open to so many different things and she’s just beginning her own personal journey of where her life is going to take her. I think without everything in place, she’s had to make a lot of choices on the day and on the fly. And that’s great because getting to know herself in this way. So, it’s a good thing.”
During our interview, Rudolph makes the surprising revelation that she’s never walked a fashion show like Molly (it’s time!), why it was time for Molly and Arthur (Nat Faxon) to admit their feelings for each other, just how fun that 73 questions Vogue magazine spoof was and much more.
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The Playlist: Having watched the final episode, Molly is in a very different place than she was at the beginning of the season. What were the discussions with your showrunners about taking her on this arc in this journey for season two?
Maya Rudolph: Well, they really loved Molly and Arthur, and I think a lot of people really loved Molly and Arthur and really wanted something to happen. I mean, my feeling was like, look, “I don’t care what happens, but they have shuffled their feet long enough. Let’s go either one or the other.” Basically, I think that they wanted something to happen, and I was glad because how long can you flirt? I mean, it happened to explode, but at least something happened. It’s enough of being cute and polite. So, I was happy that we went in that direction just because I won’t give the kids what they want, it really is my goal.
But then also Molly has had, for most of the season, this great success with Space and her philanthropic, I’m just using the wrong word, her philanthropy…I could barely get that out.
Do it all the time. It’s a real tongue twister.
It is a tongue twister. But then she needs more money to go national and make it even bigger. She thinks Grace, played by Ana Gasteyer, is going to help her do this. And then she gets almost flipped off at the end. She’s not in a great place. Do you think that in a third season, this will make her less committed? Do you think it’ll make her question what she’s done, or do you think it’s just a hiccup in her long-term plans?
It definitely, at this point, feels like two steps forward and one step back. Yeah, sometimes things you’re doing are good, and no good deed goes unpunished. Next thing you know, everything is blown up in your face. I feel like that’s happened in my life so many times where you feel like what I was doing, all the right things, what happened? But I know from the ashes, something wonderful always arises, this is just incredibly painful to go through. So, hopefully it allows us to continue on with her to God knows where. What I love about this character is that she really is open to so many different things and she’s just beginning her own personal journey of where her life is going to take her. I think without everything in place, she’s had to make a lot of choices on the day and on the fly. And that’s great because getting to know herself in this way. So it’s a good thing.
Do Alan and Matt have a three, four, or five-season arc for her, or are you guys sort of discovering it as you go along?
I mean, I hope that they do. I think that they’ve always wanted her to go everywhere and do everything. And I think the more we have gotten to know Molly and this group at the Wells Foundation, I think we realized we just want to see it bigger and bigger and out there. And we knew that the show was going to carry us everywhere because of the nature of the world of a billionaire, that it couldn’t exist anywhere. So, that was always the hope. And I think now that the foundation’s been laid in the first season, we’ve just begun. We’ve just started to take her anywhere. So, I feel like it’s that fun element of the world of a billionaire. Anything can happen all the time. If you throw enough money at things, they usually can happen.
And you never know. There might be a secret Illuminati right around the corner trying to.
I mean, that’s my hope. That’s the fun of being able to approach these ideas through comedies. I mean, I don’t know if there’s one, but I love thinking there might be; it’s such a fun world. It’s like we’ve all thought about it. We’ve all thought that there might be some sort of secret society and it is just, just funny and fun to think about.
I was thinking of if that scene had happened in season one. She might not have approached it the same way. And I just love that she goes over and just turns the light on. Do you enjoy that growth in her from the first season?
I do. I feel like it’s allowed so much more to open up for her. She’s far more confident in getting to know herself. This is definitely someone who is experiencing a lot of things on completely different terms for the first time. And it’s nice to see that growth for her. And I like it for the audience because I feel like it’s a great way for them to understand the show and understand the character through her. She’s really open-hearted when it comes to this new chapter in her life, I think.
So, in the context of the season, was there an episode in particular or any sequence that you just look back and like that you just thoroughly enjoyed that moment shooting?
I would say the fashion show. The actual show itself was something that I had never done before. I had the opportunity to improvise before, but I’d never really had a stage where you’re the only one on it and you’re just going. And we did it for hours and I had some free reign, and it’s one of those things where you always want someone to give you all that space. And then they gave it to me and I really took advantage of it, and my body was very sore the next day. But it’s one of those chances you rarely have. So, I really tried to take advantage of it, and it was so much fun to get to do all of the things that you could possibly think of for hours until it wasn’t so fun anymore, then I was just exhausted. Yeah.
Well, thankfully, a real fashion show is not for hours, but I would have bet real money that you had walked a fashion runway at some point in your career. Have you actually not?
Oh, God, no.
Do we need to put it out in the ether? Is it something you would do?
I mean, listen, I watched a lot of New York Fashion Week. Did you see the Batsheva show? There’s a lot of women my age that look just like me [in it]. I’m just saying There are a lot of women. I’m just saying.
Where did the idea come from to have Benjamin Bratt play himself in this series?
Well, we wanted a universal lovable hunk, and it actually happened very easily and very quickly because I had recently met him at the premiere of “Poker Face,” which we were working on for Natasha Lyonne. And Natasha said, “Oh, he’s the best. He’s great.” And so it was literally just the artistry of Natasha calling him and asking him. And he was so lovely about it and said he’d absolutely do it. And I just think, first of all, bless anyone who wants to come to your party. When you invite people, it’s so vulnerable and it makes you feel so naked. Do you want to come play with me? And I’m not great at asking people that stuff, but he was so genuinely excited to come and made it very clear to us that it made it so much more fun to do and took away all that worry about, “Are you having fun?” He was like, “This is great.” And enjoyed it. And there’s nothing better than someone who wants to come play. It just makes it so much fun actually.
You have so many talented people as part of your ensemble. Is there room in what you guys do for improv? Are there improv moments in the show we may not realize? Or do you guys sort of respect the scripts and just sort of stick to ’em?
There can be. It depends. Every scene is different. There’s definitely a moment where once we’ve gotten what’s on paper, I say, “Can I try this?” And it just depends. I know when we worked on the 73 questions, it was scripted, but I said, “I would really love to have some options.” I just think it’s the nature of this type of game that would be fun to have multiple answers, not just one each time we go and it just makes it funnier and makes it fun for us. It just creates something in the room that makes it when someone’s turning, and they answer that much funnier.
That might be the best skewing of that Vogue thing, whatever they want to call that setup, that I have ever seen. I just laughed so many times. Was it enjoyable doing it?
Yes, it was so much fun. I mean, I’ve watched those things for years, and I’m always endlessly fascinated, and I’ve never done one, so I’ve just been fascinated by the process because it is a rehearsed, choreographed piece. And then you’re trying to be yourself but also look great on camera because it’s Vogue, and it starts trying not to be sort of stiff, but it’s hard not to be performative when you’re doing these rehearsed things. So, some are more incredible than others. And I, I’ve always, always loved them. And just as a comedian, it’s just so much fun to play that game that just like, “I’m going to ask you a question and you’re going to say a one word answer.” It’s so much fun.
And there are no cuts in your version, are there?
There are cuts in it. We had to just because of the space, we were in a real house so at one point I’d go around the corner and get in my elevator, which really was in the house. There was an elevator, but I went upstairs to the bedroom after I said goodbye to my sloth, my baby sloth, and all of that.
Oh, and this is the most random question. Were you shocked they actually got a real baby sloth?
Yes. But you have to understand, these are the things that I hope for. I’m like, this is a show about a billionaire. There better be a baby sloth. I want a baby sloth. I want an elevator in my house. There should be an indoor moat. Absolutely. All of the things that you could never possibly imagine would exist in anyone’s home. Yeah, and I’d never met a sloth before.
I’m sure he was acting, but Joel seemed genuinely apprehensive to be carrying the sloth.
He was not acting because it had a very strong pungent, bless its heart odor. So, Joel was not acting when it came to that. It had a very foul smell, but less its sweet little baby heart.
Aw, that’s so cute. I know you’ve lived in Los Angeles for a long time and you’ve no doubt have been to many friends or people’s houses in the hills and Malibu, whatever. In the context of this show, you are even sometimes still surprised when you show up, and they found this location because the house that she’s living in now is just stunning.
Incredible. I mean, the first season is hard to still hard to conceive that that’s an actual home. That house that we shot in the first season was real, but we couldn’t get over it. I brought my family to look at it. It’s just not something that you think people really live in, but it really did. And I guess we can’t shoot there anymore because someone actually bought it, which is wild.
And my last question for you is, deep down in your soul, do you hope that some billionaire somewhere or trillionaire, whatever, watches the show and says, “You know what? I should do what Molly does. I should be giving my money away.” Is there any tiny sliver of hope in the context of this show?
Absolutely. And I have no shame in admitting that. I’m like, take the cheat sheet. We did the hard work for you. You want to buy a bunch of abandoned hotels and create houses for the unhoused? Wonderful. Go for it. You get it all. I think that what’s been incredible to see has been the element of giddiness, if you will, of the show, of hoping that somehow something we’re saying is seeping into one ear, one billionaire, and that sometimes we’ve heard of stories of people giving all their money away, and the first thing we all text each other and say, “Do you think they watched the show?” It wouldn’t hurt. I know for me, it’s so important to be a part of something that is hopefully creating important conversations to bring to the table that if you’re going to talk about this much wealth, the fun element of it is all the incredible wealth. But it’s hard not to juxtapose it with reality, which is that money can be used for good. So, I think it’s just a matter of the inner turmoil of what somebody is dealing with when they have all that money, do they want to use it all for themselves? And I’m like, “Oh, I’m feeling a little, I’m being too selfish. Maybe I’ll share a little bit,” but listen, a little bit for a billionaire is a lot.
That’s true. Maya, congratulations on the season. I really do hope you guys get a third go around, and I hope you get to make a suggestion or two of where you’d like Molly to be at the beginning of the next season, whether that’s Bora Bora or Greece or wherever somewhere fun you’d like to go.
I love both of those places and would like to go to both of them. Thank you very much.
“Loot” is available on Apple TV+.