Andy Samberg’s mentally unstable archaeologist Rip Digman returns inDigman!season 2, the trailer for which had excited YouTube users saying,“I thought it was cancelled.”Wrong, YouTubers–Digman!season 2 trailer promises more adventures, higher stakes, and a new round of winking nods to theIndiana Jonesfranchise. In addition to its primary cast,Digman!season 2 features an exciting array of guest stars including Kate Winslet, Seth Myers, Nathan Lane, and Mark Hamill.
The series was created by longtime collaborators Andy Samberg and Neil Campbell, who previously worked together on many ofBrooklyn Nine-Nine’s best episodes. In addition to their duties as creators and showrunners, Samberg and Campbell both lend their voices toDigman!, with Samberg voicing the titular protagonist and Campbell bringing a number of characters, especially the cocaine-loving loris Fleety, to life.Digman!’s return comes at long last for fans of the show, as the first season premiered in 2023.
ScreenRantinterviewed Andy Samberg and Neil Campbell about returning to the wild world of archaeology withDigman!season 2. The pair discussed working with this season’s impressive guest cast, amping up the chaos of the show’s first outing, and which character is the emotional core of the show. Plus, Samberg hyped up his longtime collaborator Akiva Schaffer’s upcoming movie,The Naked Gunstarring Liam Neeson.
Andy Samberg & Neil Campbell Explain Choosing Rip Digman’s Archaeological Adventures
James Cameron’s Titanic As A “Sexual Awakening” Informed One Episode
As dumb as the character of Rip Digman often is, the famed archaeologist finds himself adventuring through global conspiracies and toward priceless artifacts on a near-daily basis. In season 2, Rip and his crew find themselves unearthing secrets of Titanic proportions. When asked how the writers choose their historical targets with the Titanic-centric second episode “Jack and Rose” as a reference point, Campbell shared insights into theDigman!Writing process.
“We do a bunch of different angles,”he said,“Some days we’ll come up with ideas of, like, ‘What are the characters going through?’ and ‘What would be next for one of these characters?’ or ‘What would be an interesting thing to explore about one of these characters?’”Other times, Campbell shared,“We come from the opposite angle, and people go, ‘What would be a funny artifact to look for, and what would that maybe tell us about one of the characters?’ or ‘What could [we] explore about one of our characters through this hunt?’”
While Campbell wasn’t sure exactly how “Jack and Rose” developed, Samberg did share that“[There was] also a lot of talk in the room, as I recall, Neil, about how the film Titanic was a sexual awakening for a lot of people … and we just put it into the scripts.”
Campbell agreed, saying“Yeah. That was a big thing. And I don’t want to gender anything, but [it was] perhaps more strongly [so] for some of our female staff and friends. [In] talking with them about it, we were kind of discussing the importance of Titanic to them [in that sense.]”
Kate Winslet Joins The Guest Cast Of Digman! Season 2
Other Guests Include Mark Hamill, John Waters & Nathan Lane
Digman!season 2 continues the show’s trend of featuring impressive stars of screen and stage in surprising guest roles. For example, the first season’s list of guest actors included Daniel Radcliffe, Jane Lynch, and Maya Rudolph. Not to be outdone this time around, Samberg and Campbell found guests including John Waters, Nathan Lane, Mark Hamill, and Oscar winner Kate Winslet, the latter of whom Samberg said he was courting for a rolein this 2023 interview.
Of all the guest stars,“I think [the process] was probably the most foreign for [Winslet],”Samberg said,“but she’s also one of the greatest actors of all time, and quickly was better than our wildest dreams.”The actor revealed that he“read with her when she recorded, and she had questions that almost no one else would’ve asked. She was actually getting into the psychology of the character and things like that.”
Samberg admitted to letting her find her feet on her own a little bit, as well:“She’d also be like, ‘You can give me a line reading,'”the actor shared, adding,“and I’m like, ‘No f**king way. I’m not falling for that.'”
Neil Campbell had his own memorable experience working with legendary director, writer, and actor John Waters, he revealed.“It was an honor to record with John Waters,”he shared,“and I do remember [that] when we first were starting, he was like, ‘Have I done this before?’ because I think he’s done voiceover. And we were like, ‘No, no, he’s this character–we’ll go through the whole thing,’ and he then was amazing.”
Digman! Season 2 Gets Wilder With Its Characters
“You’re Always Curious … To See How Far You Can Push It”
The new season ofDigman!takes already-eccentric characters and manages to elevate their madness. Rip Digman, especially, is even more off-kilter than the grieving archaeologist already was in the first season.“I think you’re always curious, in comedy, to see how far you can push it and where you can take it,”Andy Samberg said on the subject.“He was pretty nuts in season one,”he added,“so I think it was more about, ‘Can we find new moves for him that we find exciting?’ And we did.”
But there were other benefits that came from simply continuing a known character, Samberg revealed.“I was also really pleasantly surprised that the thing happened, [that is true] with a lot of characters I love, where going back to moves was satisfying, because now we know that that’s part of his character and his personality,”the actor said. Samberg even called Rip Digman“one of my favorite characters I’ve ever played,”saying that“a recording session for this show is the loosest I can possibly be on a performance level.”
“Oftentimes, the weirder and more jazzy it gets, the more likely it is to end up on the show.”
But Rip Digman isn’t the only character who goes through changes in season 2. Rip’s assistant Saltine, played by Mitra Jouhari, continues her journey of becoming an Arky, and may even pick up a habit or two from Rip along the way.“We want Saltine to be fully developed,”Samberg shared.“She is the co-lead, essentially, and their relationship is what we had always felt like would be the foundation of the show. I think her story arc is actually one of the most important things about the season.”
“Also, we have this incredible comedian in Mitra,”Samberg added,“and the more we get to know her and her voice, the more we want to let her get loose and cook.”
As for the idea of Saltine getting a little weirder under the tutelage of Rip, Campbell said,“It’s fun to [go], ‘Well, what if she responded to this slightly weirder than you might think she should?’ or ‘[What if she’s] a little too excited about this, or a little too pissed off at that guy?’ or something. That’s always fun, when we push it a little further than maybe you think.”
“Saltine has a move that I love,”Samberg finished,“which is super-square sex positivity. She’s very matter-of-fact about stuff, but also unabashedly horny. It really tickles me.”
And Will The Lonely Island Release A New Album?
Image via Paramount Pictures
Digman!season 2 is in large part the result of an ever-growing working relationship between Samberg and Campbell, about which Samberg said“We love working together … [because] we make each other laugh”and Campbell shared“we’ve always gelled in a really nice way.”After The Lonely Island released new music videos forSaturday Night Live’s 50th season, however, many fans began wondering when the actor might reunite with those collaborators as well.
The soonest upcoming opportunity for such a thing would have beenThe Naked Gun, directed by The Lonely Island member Akiva Schaffer, but Samberg shot that down, saying,“We’re not in Naked Gun.”Still, he said,“Naked Gun is so good. It’s just pure joy. I’m biased, obviously; Akiva is my guy. But everyone I’ve seen it with all walked out saying the same thing, which is, like, ‘I didn’t realize how much I missed that feeling of a pure, silly comedy that’s all jokes, wall to wall, in a theater.’”
Samberg continued, revealing that he attended friends and family screenings and test screenings and has seen the movie multiple times.“Me and Akiva are always involved in each other’s stuff,”he said,“and I think he just crushed it. Liam is so funny at it; he’s so good. Pam’s so good at it. I’m really excited for them. I hope everybody goes and sees it because it’s super funny.”
Regarding more music from The Lonely Island, Samberg kept it simple, but encouraging:“Album? Hopefully.”
