When “Loot” production designer Jennifer Dehghan signed on to produce, she knew it would “hook people with the funny and the pretty,” but she hoped the “broader conversation of the series [would keep] pass. Dehghan noted for Variety how “‘Loot’ delves into the late capitalist world, the housing crisis, rising poverty and wealth imbalance.”
Half-hour AppleTV+ comedy follows billionaire Molly Novak (Maya Rudolph), after her husband John (Adam Scott), leaves her for his secretary and the series picks up as soon as Molly hijacks her life. With an $87 billion settlement and newfound free time, Molly heads to the foundation she started and soon she’s settling in with the staff, Sofia (Michaela Jaé Rodriguez), Howard (Ron Funches), Arthur ( Nat Faxton) and his secretary Nicholas (Joël Kim Booster).
Showcasing the exorbitant wealth meant that Dehghan had to explore the multi-million dollar mansion market of Los Angeles and create several sound stage sets to perfect the portrayal of the billionaire divorcee. Finding Novak’s house led Dehghan to search for a home exclusively where the 1% shop, and ultimately to discover and secure the largest house in the United States, known as “The One”, as his residence. by Novak.
AppleTV+
Prior to filming, the “Loot” crew visited several homes, but the Bel Air home was one of the first homes Dehghan saw, and while they weren’t opposed to continued scouting, Dehghan knew that it was always “the only one”. Although the centerpiece of “Loot,” the series was only filmed on the sprawling 3.8-acre estate over six days. Lead the team to build sets for Molly’s dressing room and living room, as well as her private plane, airplane runway, foundation office, outdoor vineyard living space, and Molly’s family home in San Bernardino.
“Everywhere we went after that. It was like ‘It’s okay, it’s okay’ – and it’s a $48 million House. He defiled the waters because you couldn’t unlearn This lodge.”
Dehghan envisioned the Novaks residing in a home that resembled the work of famed Los Angeles architect Paul MacLean. But then the “Loot” team struck gold, once they realized “The One” was engineered by MacLean. “He’s the architect of the 1% in Los Angeles.” Dehghan continued: “We talked about how we liked Paul MacLean’s style. So maybe we pick a few Paul Maclean houses scattered around Los Angeles and shoot [each] and combine them into one. It had been on the table for a while.
Dehghan added: “It had never been busy which was also perfect as we felt there should be no signs of life. It really should be a void and she is left in that void trying to figure out how to fill it and become whole again after the separation.
With the endless supply of bedrooms, pools and kitchens, Dehghan revealed that Molly and John’s yacht from the opening scene was actually the underground level of “The One”.
“It was an underground pool. There were five swimming pools on this property including a moat. We felt we could really pretend. It has lower ceilings, it’s chunky and flat, so we put blue screens outside the windows,” Dehghan revealed. “The interiors of the yacht were all at ‘The One’ and we simulated all of that in the underground levels.”
AppleTV+
While the yacht was filmed on location, Molly’s additional status symbols were built by the crew, including this private plane, which Dehghan says is “technically a slight variation on a 737”, and its runway private.
Season 1 of “Loot” is now available to stream on AppleTV+.