Exclusive Interview: Billy Magnussen Talks Made for Love Season 2, Collaborating with the Showrunners, and More

Billy Magnussen has emerged as one of Hollywood’s most sought-after leading men. He’s brought complex characters to life with nuance in projects including Into the Woods, Maniac, Tell Me a Story, No Time to Die, and The Many Saints of Newark.

This spring, he reprises his role as tech guru Bryon Gogol in HBO Max’s dark comedy Made for Love. The must-see series follows a young woman who is on the run after ten years in a suffocating marriage to a tech billionaire when she realizes that her husband has implanted a revolutionary monitoring device in her brain that allows him to track her every move.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Billy about Made for Love Season 2, collaborating with the showrunners to develop the different layers of Bryon, and more.

PC: You’ve said in the past that no one is the villain of their own story, which is the perfect way to describe Byron and his motivations. You do such a fantastic job bringing depth to this character that could easily have been played as one note. You were able to collaborate with Christina [Lee] and Alissa [Nutting] on his development and the building of this world. How has that process evolved and grown heading into Season 2?
Billy: First of all, thank you so much for the sweet compliments and generous things you said. That’s very kind. It means a lot. Thank you. I think it’s everything. It’s working with those wonderful showrunners to create this character. I am working with the most talented people in Hollywood (in my opinion). They’re the kindest and most gracious people. When you have a group of people like that around you as you move through a project, you feel safe, creative, and free to explore. We’re all trying to wing it and figure it out. It’s fun to have people as wonderful as them around you as you create.

PC: Towards the end of the first season, we learn a little bit more about Byron’s family and his backstory. We know you can’t say too much, but is that something that we’re going to dive further into in Season 2?
Billy: Yes! Yes!

PC: Did that change the way that you approached this character?
Billy: Yeah. That’s always what happens, especially in television. You’re like, “Oh I didn’t know that was part of my character’s story.” It shifts everything. You’re like, “How can I weave this new material into what I’ve already created?” It’s an art form to make it all seem like it’s part of the same world.

PC: Unlike other projects that you’ve worked on, the pandemic really created this opportunity for you to dive deeper than ever with one specific character. What did you learn about yourself and your craft while embodying Byron?
Billy: That it’s okay not to be perfect. It’s okay to make mistakes, and you have to forgive yourself.

PC: You’ve known Cristin [Milioti] for over a decade. How beneficial was having that prior relationship as you built the complex dynamic between your two characters? How have your shared experiences in theater lent themselves to this project?
Billy: Working with Cristin Milioti is one of the greatest gifts I’ve ever gotten. To have her as a friend is absolutely beautiful. We’re both theater dorks and nerds. We just play. We crack each other up and dance on set. We’re weird people, and we’re okay with that. We are accepted there. That’s probably the best part of working with her, feeling safe.

PC: You’ve played such a wide range of characters throughout your career. What was it about Byron and this particular project that stood out to you?
Billy: Patrick Somerville came up and was like, “Hey, Cristin Milioti is going to be the lead. I got Ray Romano. You want to do this part?” I was like, “Yep.” Anything with Cristin, I’m in. I believe in that girl so much. She’s wonderful.

PC: What is it like getting to work with Ray?
Billy: He’s just a great guy, a legend, and a veteran. He’s horrible at golf. He’s horrible. He’s the worst golfer in the world. He’ll hate me for saying that. He’s just a great guy and a good mentor to work with. He’s someone you ask for advice. It’s funny that at this stage in my career I’ve had the opportunity to work with such veteran performers as him. It’s nice to talk to and learn from them. It’s a treat.

To keep up with Billy, follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Watch Made for Love on HBO Max.

Photo Credit: Beth Dubber/HBO Max