The workplace comedySpaceForceexplores the chaotic lives of a group of professionals working at the United States Space Force. Created by sitcom mastermind Greg Daniels and Steve Carell, it brings forth an incredible main cast, including Jimmy O. Yang, Ben Schwartz, Diana Silvers, Tawny Newsome, and John Malkovich.
Season 2 saw the Netflix series shift into a character-driven direction, stirring up new relationships and unexpected bonds among the quick-witted team.Game Rantwas able to speak with Jimmy O. Yang, Diana Silvers, and Tawny Newsome about the latest season ofSpace Force, the fan-favorite relationship between Dr. Chan and Captain Angela, and a few standout Steve Carell moments.
Related:Interview: Space Force’s Ben Schwartz On Steve Carell’s Funniest Moment, Improv Skills, And His Favorite Season 2 Interaction
Game Rant: Can you each tease something that you’re looking forward to fans seeing this season?
Diana Silvers:I’m excited for everyone to see the tofu.
Tawny Newsome:I’m gonna go with another [Steve] Carell moment. I got to just say the word fife.
Jimmy O. Yang:Oh man, so many great Carell moments. Carell’s character getting drunk is very fun. It’s great. It’s really a masterful performance.
GR: It sounds like the theme is just Steve Carell.
Yang:Everyone just watch Steve Carell. Forget about us.
GR: Tawny and Jimmy, Dr. Chan and Angela are the fan-favorite couple of the show. Did you expect this fan focus and how can you tease how their relationship this season?
Newsome:The only quibble I want to make is, I think, the fan-favorite couple is actually Chan and Tony. I’m seeing more excitement about them. But, we were so sure that fans were going to be obsessed with us in season one. We had a little bit of hubris. I remember when we were in season one, in front of the eye surgery place, and I’m in like a striped top and he’s holding his jacket for me. I remember saying to Jimmy, this is going to be a top Halloween costume for couples.
Yang:You did say that.
Newsome:Did we see any?
Yang:I don’t think we did. Also, we said that Changela is going to be the biggest hashtag on Twitter. I saw maybe two of those. But you’re right, with Chan-Tony there was a lot of fan art. A lot of fan art.
GR: Hopefully this season will have fans hashtagging Changela a bit more. Jimmy, is there anything else you want to add about the relationship?
Yang:Oh, it ebbs and flows a lot. It’s very real this season, yet very specific. I don’t think we’ve ever shown a romantic relationship, or possible romantic relationship, with a rocket scientist and a woman who’s been on a moon. But, at the same time, it’s still very relatable. A lot of these things, whether it’s a guy who doesn’t understand what a woman is going through or vice versa, is based on my real life also — my trouble with some women. It’s all written very real, even though it’s two very specific characters, I hope everyone can really relate to it.
Also, we love to see the fans' reactions to Changela, especially theK-Popscene in the first season. We lean into that for sure, and a lot of different fun things. But also, we made sure to lean into a Chan-Tony bromance. Fans will be getting a little more of that. I’m hoping for morefan art.
GR: Diana, we get to see a lot of Erin at Space Force this season. Did you expect this character arc when you were filming season one?
Silvers:No, I didn’t really know where I was going to go from season one. And then during the pandemic, Jimmy, Steve and Greg invited me into the writers' room for one of the days they were on Zoom, and we discussed potential places for Erin to go. That was two years ago now, which is crazy. But I was like, can Erin join the rest of the gang, please? As an actor, I felt so isolated from the rest of the ensemble. So, I was really glad when someone pitched for an intern or something. I don’t know if it was me, I don’t remember. But it was a pitch that Erin would intern or shadow different people within Space Force. After that, it was much easier to piece together a coherent arc for her in the season. It grounded her in the series. And it grounded her as a person which I think was needed because she felt a bit untethered in season one.
GR: If you could switch roles with anyone in the show, who would it be?
Yang:Oh my god. First of all, I’m very happy with my role. And to answer that question, in this season, everybody gets to play. Everybody gets different relationships, like Erin gets to finally hang out with me, Tony, and Ben. Everyone really puts in the effort. I would happily switch roles with anyone in the cast. Just not Don Lake. Don Lake is too good being Don Lake, so we got to let him be. But, it’s an equal amount of fun for every character, which is what I love about the season.
