‘Loot’s Michaela Jaé Rodriguez On Sofia And Isaac’s Season 2 Romance And Working With O-T Fagbenle: “I Wouldn’t Have It Any Other Way”

At the end of Loot’s Season 1 finale — despite the Adam Scott of it all — a majority of fans were rooting for a romance between co-workers and unexpected friends Molly (Maya Rudolph) and Arthur (Nat Faxon). In Season 2 of the Apple TV+ comedy, there’s still an undeniable spark between the two, but the Wells Foundation has a hot new couple to ship: Sofia and Isaac.

Season 1 introduced Michaela Jaé Rodriguez’s Sofia as a dedicated, hardworking, professionally ambitious rockstar whose social life left a lot to be desired. While she’s still at the top of her work game — leading groundbreaking philanthropic efforts like affordable housing initiative Space For Everyone in Loot’s sophomore season — she also has her eye on O-T Fagbenle’s Isaac this time around. 

Sofia and Isaac meet in Episode 2, when Molly enlists his architectural expertise to make Space For Everyone a reality. The spark between him and Sofia is instantaneous and palpable, but when her coworkers clock the potential, Sofia hides behind her work, saying she’s too busy to get involved with anyone. Thankfully, Molly isn’t great at taking no for an answer, so she secretly sets her friends up on a romantic rooftop date, which helps them see their sparks have the capacity to burst into flames. Over the course of Loot Season 2, Sofia navigates an incredibly refreshing, difficult, and relatable journey of self-discovery and vulnerability — one that Rodriguez loved tackling.

“I enjoyed every single aspect of going through the ebbs and flows of the Sofia train,” Rodriguez said with a chuckle during a Zoom interview with Decider. “We get a glimpse of who she could possibly be in the first season — how strong she is, how stern she is, how much of a rock she is due to what she experienced with her parents, and the monologue that she gave to the whole crew. And now that she’s been able to open up a little bit, we see her smell the roses a little bit more in Season 2.”

In the first two episodes, which premiered on April 3, Sofia and Isaac’s early chemistry, shared professional drive, and witty banter is on full display. As Joel Kim Booster’s Nicholas said, “Vibes much?!” In going toe-to-toe and bringing out a fire in each other, it’s also clear their connection pushes them to leave their comfort zones a bit. Sofia’s tendency to be an uptight stickler for rules and order balances out Isaac’s more laid back, creative approach to life, and Rodriguez and Fagbenle’s ability to play off of each other is incredibly charming.

“Through all of these mishaps and wonders, we get to see how this wonderful man, who’s an architect, challenges Sofia. We’ve never seen someone challenge her romantically, and also someone who is well-established just like her. And it’s fun,” Rodriguez told Decider. “I think playing off of O-T is fantastic. He’s such a fantastic actor and a great partner. I couldn’t — I mean, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Aside from being phenomenal acting partners, Rodriguez and Fagbenle also got to bring their shared love of music to Loot Season 2 in an iconic karaoke scene where they belted out Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing.”

Though Rodriguez, who has an album coming out in 2024, didn’t have any say in the song, she said Loot co-creators Alan Yang and Matt Hubbard “really keyed in on what I liked” and knew she was from Newark, New Jersey. “Parlaying two Brick City Queens, Whitney Houston and Michaela Jaé, sounds like a good matchup,” she said. Despite her and Fagbenle’s stage and musical experience (he also slays on the saxophone), Rodriguez admits the scene took her back a bit. “As far as karaoke, I was so nervous. I did not know what to do or expect, but I took it by the horns, and I did what I needed to do — or at least I hope I did,” she explained.

With eight episodes left in Loot Season 2, there’s much more in store for Sofia and Isaac — musically and romantically. But if their meet cute was any indication of what’s to come, in the words of Molly Wells, “It is the first scene of a rom-com,” and we can’t wait to see the rest.

New episodes of Loot Season 2 premiere Wednesdays on Apple TV+.