Space Force Season 2 is about to make its anticipated arrival on Netflix tomorrow morning and as the next set of episodes takes off with audiences for a very funny seven episodes, it’s no secret there are plenty of shenanigans happening behind the scenes thanks to its roster of stars led by Steve Carell. In an exclusive with PopCulture.com ahead of the series’ sophomore premiere on the streaming giant at 3 a.m. ET on Friday, the cast including Ben Schwartz, Tawny Newsome, Jimmy O. Yang and Diana Silvers reveal to PopCulture.com how starring in a show alongside creators Carell and Greg Daniels is a dream come true for each of them.
Schwartz, who plays the U.S. Space Force’s social media manager, F. Tony Scarapiducci, is humbled to be on a show this clever and witty, revealing he is also every bit the hype man his character sets out to be behind the scenes while getting the cast and crew energized with shenanigans. “I would say when we’re in between setups, I’m the hype man that tries to figure out how we could staple a cup to a wall so we could all play basketball together or play heads up or something like that,” he said to his castmates, laughing.
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Adding how “everybody’s equally as excited” while on set to “play with Steve Carell” and John Malkovich, Schwartz adds it’s all about living the dream with some of the best people in the room. “We get to say words written by [creator] Greg Daniels, who’s a hero of mine and wrote some of my favorite Simpsons episodes. Then you get to get directed by Ken Kwapis who directed Larry Sanders, which is my favorite comedy of all time.”
When it comes to Silvers, who plays Erin — the daughter of Carell’s Gen. Mark Naird, the 24-year-old actress exclaims she couldn’t ask for a better scene partner with The Office alum and Malkovich, who seemingly plays more of a father figure to her character in Season 2. “They’re very generous, giving and present scene partners,” she told PopCulture. “They’re just really kind and easy to work with and there’s no ego and it’s really, always a positive experience.”
Adding how she learns “so much from them every time” they share a scene together, Silvers admits it’s helped her become “more emotionally available as a person” in addition to an actor sharing scenes with them, especially the more “heartfelt” moments. “It’s just holding prolonged eye contact with someone who is so present, it takes your guard down in a really, really good way,” she said. “I learn so much and I’m really grateful that I get to have scenes with them.”
While Silvers states Malkovich, known for his more serious roles, can do “anything,” her co-stars, including Yang echo her sentiments when she says there is “no one on the planet” quite like him. Yang, who portrays Dr. Chan Kaifang, tells PopCulture while the award-winning actor is an “incredible guy,” in the beginning he was a “little intimidated. “I’m like, this is Oscar Man. Is that what they call him? Oscar Man?”
But once he started to get to know him and share a number of scenes together, O. Yang says that all eased down. “He’s such an incredible actor and so many characters he plays, he seems so intimidating. But really, he’s just the most sweet, lovely, well-traveled, well-rounded guy. We even went to a Santa Monica flea market together,” he said to his co-stars, chuckling. “I mean, he is just a lovely man and always asks about how my family is doing. But at the same time, so fun to play with too in the scene and in between setups, like Ben was saying. He was throwing an alley-oop to Ben into a paper cup and he’s playing heads up with us and getting as invested as we are. But at the same time, learning a lot from him professionally, how always prepared he is even at his level and just how present he is, but seemingly so effortless. Such an inspiration.”
Space Force Season 2 releases on Netflix, Feb. 18. All of Space Force Season 1 is available to stream now.
