Maya Rudolph On Her ‘Loot’ Apple TV Series And The Evolution Of Comedy

Maya Rudolph in “Loot”

Apple TV

Maya Rudolph has lived and breathed comedy throughout her seasoned career – from her seven seasons as a cast member on Saturday Night Live, co-starring alongside her fellow SNL alum Kristen Wiig in 2011’s Bridesmaids and now in her third season of the Apple TV series, Loot.

Created by Alan Yang and Matt Hubbard, Rudolph, 53, continues to play billionaire philanthropist Molly Wells on Loot, who is initially heartbroken by her cheating tech mogul husband, John Novak (played by Adam Scott), and left with $87 billion in their divorce settlement. Rudolph not only showcases her sharp comedic timing and skilled improvisation abilities on Loot, but also tells stories that our real world can very much relate to today, by creating levity around timely messages of privilege, social trends and how the wildly wealthy can (and should) do more with their fortune.

Sitting down with Rudolph and Hubbard at The London in West Hollywood, California, I first wondered what it is about this optimistic and humorous Loot story that continues to bring comfort to both of them.

Rudolph, who also serves as an executive producer on Loot, said, “I mean, when the show first came to me, I think the comfort was this idea of finding the good in this conversation, right? The idea of having extreme wealth and then figuring out how to use it for good and a platform for it, while also entertaining just the sheer joy of the comedy of extreme wealth and like how far that can go. I immediately just saw that the show can go anywhere and I love that balance that we are able to get to do both.”

Hubbard added: “I love that this show, it always is kind of like you got to one-up yourself. Every season, it’s like – Let’s go bigger and bigger! I think at the very beginning of this season, we were both like – Molly would be traveling internationally a lot, right? So, let’s do an episode in Korea, let’s do an episode in England. It’s the challenge, but also the fun of just making everything bigger and more fun, I enjoy a lot.”

With Rudolph having such a celebrated background in and around comedy throughout her career, what perhaps feels different about comedy, for better or worse, from her own perspective lately?

“I mean, it’s always evolving,” Rudolph said. “I feel like people are telling a lot of truths, which they always have. I haven’t really thought about what comedy is today. I feel like there are so many types. I just go for stupid and silly, that’s my favorite, but it’s not the only kind, for sure. This is a feel-good show and that’s certainly not always the case. Some people love to see people fall down.”

Professionally interjecting in-between Rudolph’s thoughts, I expressed that Loot also has a lot of thoughtfulness around its silly nature.

She continued with, “That has been important to the creation of the show. I think that’s constantly been the marker, making sure that introducing these ideas comes with a bit of a social responsibility. Certainly, we’ve talked about like – Okay, what’s the thing she’s going to be doing this year? It’s difficult to think about these larger conversations about a philanthropic responsibility and what you would do with this money – how to fix things and help people. It’s really an overwhelming task, but an exciting one – and also, it feels like a very good one.”

Hubbard shared that around the Loot narrative of money and social classes, that the show’s creative team does their best to “ground it in some morality and what is the right way to live and what is the right way to live your life. That is kind of what Molly’s journey is about.”

Rudolph added: “After that first season, I felt like there were a couple of times where I would get phone calls from people saying like – Did you see that billionaire gave away a bunch of money? I was like – Interesting! I wonder if they watch our show. I wouldn’t be mad at that.”

Knowing that Rudolph’s longtime “gal pal” Wiig also stars on her own Apple TV series, Palm Royale, I was curious when Hubbard and Rudolph might get a time warp crossover episode between Loot and Palm Royale ahead.

“Molly would love to wear those clothes,” Rudolph said. “That would be really fun. At this point, I feel like every Marvel show – people like time travel. It’s actually a very good idea. That reminds me of being a kid in the 70s and it’s like – The Brady Bunch meets -.”

Rudolph is not the only entertainer within her household making waves in Hollywood. Her filmmaker husband, Paul Thomas Anderson, has had great box office success and public praise surrounding his new One Battle After Another film, starring the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Chase Infiniti, Teyana Taylor and Sean Penn. So, what are Rudolph’s thoughts around her husband’s latest project receiving all of this positive attention?

“I’m really proud,” Rudolph said. “It’s wonderful. It’s been amazing, actually. It’s so incredible when you see people respond to art in a way that they feel grateful for it or moved by it. I’ve just witnessed an extraordinary reaction to it. I’m very happy for him.”

Being in the midst of season three, with new episodes streaming Wednesdays on Apple TV, Rudolph shared where they hope to go next with Loot, if and hopefully when it is picked up for a fourth season.

“These opportunities are endless. It’s like the gift that keeps on giving. Billionaires keep doing stuff and I also feel like the world is not getting any more peaceful. There is a lot going on that is horrific and horrible. This is a group of people that really are trying to create change in a good way. Obviously, it’s not a political show, but what isn’t political anymore? Even in a comedy, it can be a place where people can feel good for a half hour.”

Concluding my sit-down conversation with Hubbard and Rudolph, I left Rudolph with my signature interview question, wondering what she would say to her Loot character, Molly Wells, if only she could.

“First, I’d start by saying – Babe! – because that’s how I start all my sentences. Let me give you a little piece of advice. I would say really just relax into change and it’s really serving you well, and truly trust your gut because I think that is how she has gotten through this next chapter of her life. What I found so interesting about getting to play this character was that we all have moments in our lives where things fall apart and our lives change, and it’s how we pick up the pieces – it’s how we operate. She never asked herself what she wanted. She was really supporting someone else and sort of following their dream, and now this is her life. Your life is your own dream and you get to choose that, and she fell into something. So, getting to witness somebody choosing her own path, I would say – You’re doing great, kid. Maybe just cool it on the spending at times because I think it looks bad – but she’s got the money and she kind of can’t get rid of it!”