Kirston Mann interview: ‘Loot’ costume designer
For Maya Rudolph and costume designer Kirston Mann, “Loot” is perhaps the crowning achievement of their years-long collaboration.
“This is the seventh show I’ve done with Maya and I think she’s my muse,” Mann tells Gold Derby in an exclusive video interview. “I love working with her. She’s fashion-forward, and she’s so collaborative. She’s willing to take so many risks that not every actor would be willing to do… She’s pure. She’s so willing to go with anything. She’s such a risk-taker, it makes the job really fun.”
The second season of the Apple TV+ comedy starring Rudolph, Michaela Jae Rodriguez, Nat Faxon, Ron Funches, Joel Kim Booster, and Adam Scott focuses on Molly Wells (Rudolph), who splits up with her billionaire husband (Scott) and throws herself into more philanthropic efforts.
“Season 1 was the launching pad. And then I feel like [it] definitely was the launch of the show,” Mann says. “We wanted to start the show with Molly being in a more meditative phase, where we start by going with all whites, and then all of a sudden there’s a shift, and she’s back into colorful clothing.”
In addition to “Loot,” Mann has worked on several beloved comedies over the last two decades, from “Parks and Recreation” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” to last summer’s Jennifer Lawrence vehicle “No Hard Feelings.”
“This is not the cast with ‘Loot,’ but I feel like you don’t necessarily want people to notice the outfit unless it’s really scripted [to be noticeable],” Mann says about working in contemporary comedy spaces. “I love working with comedians because there is not a lot of vanity. They want to be the character rather than ask, ‘How do I look?’ The joy of doing comedies is that most of the actors want to be funny first.”
That’s apparent in “Loot,” particularly with Booster’s character, Nicholas, Molly’s assistant.
“We kind of make him Molly’s accessory,” Mann says of Nicholas, noting he’s like the human personification of a handbag. “We are always trying to coordinate them. And so that’s been a lot of fun.”
“Loot” streams weekly on Apple TV+. The Season 2 finale debuts on May 29.
