Loot Stars Discuss Imagining a Better Future and the Joy of Returning for Season 2

Get ready everybody: Molly Novak is back! The Apple TV+ comedy series Loot, which originally debuted in 2022, will be returning for a second season on April 3rd. The series follows the story of billionaire Molly, who, following a divorce from her successful husband (Adam Scott), commits to changing the world for the better with her money.

As Molly begins to make executive decisions at the charitable foundation in her name, she is forced to navigate her abrupt lifestyle changes and what it really looks like to put your best foot forward in the world. Alongside Maya Rudolph (who also executive produces the series) as Molly, the returning cast features fan-favorites Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Joel Kim Booster, Ron Funches, Nat Faxon, Meagen Fay, and Stephanie Styles.

At a press junket last month, Paste sat down with several stars to discuss Loot and what we can expect from Season 2 in the aftermath of that shocking ending: at the end of Season 1, Molly promises to give her entire fortune away to those in need—all $120 billion. In the new season, Rudolph aimed to explore Molly’s soul-searching journey in the wake of that massive decision. 

“I thought that Molly becoming more introspective was a really fun place to explore wellness: trying to take care of herself for the first time,” Rudolph noted. “All of that was super fun. I also think that where we get to see a lot of the big picture stuff […] [is in] the balance of becoming a boss and taking that role seriously, and having more input in the Wells Foundation and the work that they do.”

Rudolph went on to praise the fictional foundation’s “Space for Everyone” initiative—a movement to take existing empty buildings in Los Angeles and provide a resource center that can be utilized by unhoused people. “She falls into the idea easily, and […] it’s something that feels tangible and that could be easily executed,” she added.

Joel Kim Booster plays Molly’s sharp-tongued assistant Nicolas. Though he may appear selfish and conceited on the surface, viewers have slowly become privy to Nicolas’ background over the course of these two seasons. In this season, it’s revealed that Nicolas was adopted by white, conservative parents, whom we meet in Episode 3. This isn’t that far removed from Booster’s own upbringing.

“Alan [Yang] and Matt [Hubbard] […] came to me early in the writing of Episode 3 and asked me: “Do you want Asian parents or would you like him to be a transracial adoptee like you are?” I’ve never been asked that before, and I really appreciated that storyline and the fact that I was able to represent that part of my identity very incidentally. It’s not made a big deal in that episode by any means, and it’s just sort of presented to the audience to figure out how this family came to be.”

In discussing some of the heavier themes of Loot, Rudolph highlighted what initially drew her to the series. “I think the idea that Matt and Allen brought was this idea of ‘if you had all the money in the world, what would you do with it?’ The [idea of that] sounds amazing. It sounds like you could go anywhere or do anything, and it has a sort of magical quality to it. What felt interesting to me was juxtaposing that with a social responsibility and the idea of bringing conversations to the table about what can be done with that amount of money.”

But as the first season showed, we might always be suspicious of those with such massive amounts of money—good intentions or not. And that idea is represented perfectly by Sofia (Michaela Jaé Rodriguez), the no-nonsense director of Molly’s foundation. However, despite her initial fear and trepidation, Sofia and Molly eventually become close friends, and now that she knows she can trust Molly to share her vision for the foundation, she has something else on her mind: romance. 

Rodriguez was keen to explore Sofia’s romantic journey this season: “I really approached it with care, simply because this is new territory for Sophia. She hasn’t really delved into a serious possible relationship. It was a lot of developing [and] trying to figure out how she would deal with certain things versus how Michaela would deal with things.”

Later in the season, a key subplot involves Sofia’s co-worker Howard (Ron Funches) and his attempt to uncover what he believes to be her obsession with Taylor Swift. Whether Sofia is a Swiftie or not is something that viewers will have to watch the series to discover themselves, but Rodriguez spoke on the idea of how we should approach our own tastes in art and media and how talking about them can be a positive thing.

“I don’t think anyone should be afraid to share their likes when it comes to creative differences, whether it be art, music, acting, anything,” she continues. Whether Sofia is a Swiftie or not, “you see that actually it helps and it flourishes the relationship, not only between those two, but it helps her get through a lot by actually expressing [her likes or dislikes] to her constituents and colleagues.”

Nat Faxon, who plays accountant Arthur, agreed with this sentiment. “I think that the more confident you are in the things that you like, the better off you are. There’s enough judgment in this world and if you hide under the shell of always trying to be correct in what other people are liking, you’re not going to live truly and honestly to who you are.”

In Loot, as Space for Everyone begins development, it is discovered that Molly doesn’t have enough money to fund the project herself. This is a surprising moment, as Molly is a multi-billionaire who, thus far, has not needed financial help from anybody. But to bring this idea to fruition, the foundation must now recruit others in the top 1%—with middling success. 

“Sophia and Molly are heavily [involved in] making a lot of these things happen and [ensuring] everything falls into place. I think the main thing is finding the right kind of billionaires who are willing to put their money where their mouth is. That’s easier said than done, I’m sure, in real life circumstances. And I can only imagine in the world of Loot how hard that could be. But the blessing and the graceful part of it is that Molly has the power to actually pull. Not only is she charming, but she also has the connections [which I think is] her superpower,” Rodriguez said.

Speaking on returning to the project with her co-stars (who, in the series, are also her co-workers), Rodriguez was eager to get back to work. “I was really excited to come back with the guys. When you come back into a space with people that you truly, actually care about, […] it’s kind of joyful to come back and get to work again. I think the most important thing is that we love conveying this story and making sure that it translates to the audiences as easily as possible when it comes to the disparities between wealth and people who don’t have it.”

Faxon echoed Rodrigez’s words, reiterating the close knit community on set. “I think you spend a lot of time working together and then when you have so much time away, you long for that connection again. You not only are hungry to work again as an actor, but you’re personally hungry just to see old friends and, in Ron’s case, old faces,” he said with a laugh. 

After Faxon’s facetious comment, the interview fittingly ended with this cheeky line from Ron Funches: “I just completely disagree. I don’t really enjoy my time with Nat. It’s difficult. Money’s nice, but it’s not worth this.”

Season 2 of Loot premieres Wednesday, April 3rd on Apple TV+.

Josh Sharpe is the current TV intern at Paste. His other bylines include TheaterMania and Collider. To hear about his thoughts about film, TV, and musical theatre, follow him @josh_sharpe22 on all socials.

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