Billionaires have no right to complain about their lives, at least that’s what most of us believe. What, Jeff Bezos is having a bad day? Mark Zuckerberg couldn’t manage to catch a new film in 8K? Elon Musk had to climb a flight of stairs?
We tend to forget that there are also billionaires like MacKenzie Scott. Decades ago she worried about making rent but now Jeff Bezos’s former wife has handed out over $12b to non-profits since 2020. Or consider the case of Azim Premji, who doesn’t brag about his donations. As for George Soros, he is behind one of the most private charitable foundations in the US. Sure we don’t have to bear the groaning of a billionaire but we can’t also ignore the difference people like MacKenzie Scott are bringing in.
The sentiment is at the heart of the new Apple TV+ series titled Loot. It’s a show with a heart without becoming preachy. Molly Novak, played brilliantly by the brilliant Maya Rudolph, has given most of her life towards making her husband’s work shine. They are billionaires; the world is at their command… until the day Molly discovers that her husband (John Novak, played by Adam Scott) is just a middle-aged cliche who falls for a young woman. Things get messy as the couple never had a prenup because they never thought of becoming a billionaire and at one point they were madly in love with each other. People change, couples change.
Anyway, Molly suddenly finds herself swimming in money and spending more time with chocolates and cocktails, trying to forget the past even if it’s for a few hours. Life changes when she discovers that as part of the divorce settlement, she has received a non-profit that was started to do something meaningful, like affordable housing. There are two options before Molly — make a fool of herself and make a mess of the non-profit or fix things and fall in line with what the hardworking head of the foundation — Sofia Salinas (played by Michaela Jaé Rodriguez) — has in store.
Two sides to billionaires
“I think that it’s always impressive when one succeeds so much in their lives but I think for billionaires, they have undue power, especially in American society now; some of them have control over almost every aspect of our lives. There are things that are great about them but I also think this show is also about making sure that we don’t make that kind of unquestionable wealth,” says Matt Hubbard over a video call. He has co-created the show with Alan Young who he has known for a long time and the two have also worked together on another show featuring Maya Rudolph — Forever.
Michaela, whom you may know from the award-winning series Pose, says, “There are probably a lot of billionaires who go a little crazy but there is a small amount of billionaires who actually have a heart and want to give back. With all the money in the world they have… they obviously have privileges that a lot of us don’t but there is always a group of people like Sofia who are fighting and struggling. Molly makes them understand what it is to give back, what it is to change and regrow.”
The Apple TV+ show could easily have been the comfort zone of the ultra-rich, instead the workplace at the foundation is given a relatable composition — featuring people like any of us. The first two-three episodes focus on Molly’s follies while Sofia is the voice of reason and hard work. They meet somewhere in the middle. Thrown into the equation is a small but memorable love story.
“The first time I read the script, there was a monologue where all the characters take turns to tell their life stories and when I read Sofia’s monologue, I realised that she had gone through a lot, her parents had struggled, her father broke his leg and got taken off his job and had to find ways to really strive to get things together. The moment I read that, I saw this was a woman who never wanted to see herself or her parents to be put in the same predicament again. The only way to not let that happen again was to be stern, strict-laced,” says Michaela.
But the heart and soul of the show is Maya Rudolph and her perfect comic timing. “This is a very different role for her and we thought this character will be somewhat comedic because we wanted this character to be very much like in a rich person’s bubble. The journey of Molly on the show is sort of being pulled out of it (the bubble). We wanted to do a role where there is that sort of comedy but you also see the very vulnerability of the human being going through a divorce and wanting to restart her romantic life. Alan (Yang) and I really would have only done this with Maya because she is truly an actress who can handle all of those things. In her performances there are scenes where she can be absolutely hilarious and then there are moments she is showing so much emotion and vulnerability,” says Matt.
A story of friendship
One of the other characters who stand out is Nat Faxon’s Arthur, whose mind is focussed on the financial worksheet of the foundation but he too has been through a rough patch with his former wife and is looking to restart his life. He gets along well with Molly. The combination of all the characters at the foundation make Loot appear like a show that’s not just about Molly. It’s a story of friendship, a story of trusting one another to make an organisation work. Ultimately, it’s about helping people who can be someone we know.
“If I were a billionaire, I would definitely make sure financial and economic problems around the world are solved. It’s kind of crazy and inflation has been insane too. Most importantly, I will find a place for people to come to and open themselves up. It will be like a sanctuary everyone can visit and be themselves, no matter what denomination or religion they come from. They will come together and see the difference between one another and then see reason. I think that’s what Sofia will create with her foundation, influencing people to give back, an opportunity for people to live respectfully,” says Michaela.
Yet, however much we talk about the need of billionaires to put their wealth to good use, we can’t forget that during the pandemic members of the wealthy club have been the true winners — they got richer more than they will ever need. Elon Musk, instead of committing $44b towards the acquisition of Twitter could have used the money to help people. He didn’t. Billionaires are difficult to trust but Loot teaches us not to lose hope or trust.
Coming up
Criminal Record
A show with Peter Capaldi is a must-watch. Apple TV+ has an eight-episode series titled Criminal Record in the works. The thriller starring Capaldi and Cush Jumbo as detectives will unfold in contemporary London. An anonymous phone call draws two brilliant detectives into a confrontation over an old murder case, one a young woman in the early stages of her career; the other a well-connected man determined to protect his legacy. The series touches on issues of race, institutional failure, and the quest to find common ground in a polarised Britain. BAFTA Award winner Jim Loach is directing the series.
Swagger Season Two
The streaming service has renewed Swagger for a second season. The sports drama series inspired by NBA superstar Kevin Durant’s experiences in the world of youth basketball hails from creator, showrunner and director Reggie Rock Bythewood, who also serves as executive producer alongside Durant, Brian Grazer and Rich Kleiman. The show has resonated with multi-generational audiences with its powerful ensemble performances and heartfelt story that follows the players, their families and coaches who walk the fine line between dreams and ambition, opportunism and corruption.