For the most part, Ron Funches is just being himself in Loot. But for the scenes where his character Howard is giving it to Molly (Maya Rudolph) straight, he's being his mom.
"My mom is just a good friend to have; a good person to have in your life and the fact that she is there for you," the comedian told E! News. "She always has your back and she's a positive for you."
And this is exactly the type of friend Molly—and even her assistant Nicholas (Joel Kim Booster)—needs after her tech CEO husband, played by Adam Scott, cheats on her with a woman half her age. More than that, she needs someone who isn't scared to call her out on her B.S., which Ron's mom also happens to be good at.
"If there's something going on in your life and she sees it," Ron said, "she'll be upfront about it."
And yes, this sounds bad, because no one likes criticism, but as Ron said, "She's willing to risk a friendship to tell you the truth."
In episode four of Loot, Molly learns that there are real consequences to surrounding herself with a bunch of yes-men. Namely, she's out of touch with the real world, having put her husband's wants and needs above her own—and everyone else's—for most of her life. (There's also the small matter of her unknowingly owning a totally unsafe amusement park in the Philippines, but that's for another day.)
And even the yes-men are learning that it's good to be honest with themselves and others. Take Joel's Nicholas, for example: As Molly's assistant, he devoted all his time and energy to her, leaving little else for his own ambitions. And now that Molly is becoming more independent, Nicholas is realizing that he missed out on a lot of opportunities for self-growth.
"I think my character comes into it a little resistant to the changes Molly wants to make in her own life, and it's people like Howard on the show that really pull me into the world a little bit more and sort of open me up," Joel told E! "Opening yourself up to experiences that you might not initially think are for you can be really transformative."
To see how Nicholas and Molly grow throughout season one, tune in to Loot Fridays on Apple TV+.