Andy Samberg and Neil Campbell stop by THR's suite at San Diego Comic-Con and discuss the fan response to season 2 of 'Digman!' Plus, they reveal how they got guest stars like Kate Winslet and Mark Hamill for the second season and who they would love to have as guest stars next.
00:00You'll be shocked to know that I asked Kate Winslet because I was in a movie with her and said, please do my show.
00:05She kept, I think, seriously saying to me, like, I'm funny. Why am I not in your stuff? I'm funny. Let me be funny.
00:12I was like, well, I'm working on this and like showed her an edit of Digman I was working on.
00:16I was like, you want to do a voice on season two? And she was like, yes.
00:19And I was like, I'm going to hold you to it. She was like, fine, I'll do it.
00:22And then I called her and I think she remembered. She promised. I was like, fuck.
00:30I'm Tiffany Taylor for The Hollywood Reporter here at Comic-Con 2025.
00:38And I'm sitting down with Andy Samberg and Neil Campbell to talk all things Digman.
00:42Thanks for being here, guys. Thanks for having us. Thank you.
00:44So season two just premiered last night. What has the fan response been like so far?
00:49A tidal wave of jubilation, I would say.
00:53For example, I feel like we had some friends text us and go, it was funny.
00:58Yeah. I had some friends over to watch last night and one of my friends made a cake that was delicious.
01:06So that was pretty good.
01:08And Neil told me that everyone laughed and those people almost all work in comedy.
01:13So I would say it's a smashing success.
01:15That's amazing. And how would you say that the show, you know,
01:18digs deeper and takes things to the next level this season?
01:21Really love that. Neil, do you want to answer that?
01:23Sure. Well, we sort of ended the first season on a cliffhanger.
01:27And so we kind of are paying that off and continuing that a bit as well.
01:32But also just now we were able to see how the first season did.
01:36As we were writing the first season, we were also animating.
01:39It didn't air until we were all done, obviously.
01:41And so now we've had a season under our belts and we're able to kind of go,
01:45what worked, what maybe didn't work as well,
01:47and how can we focus on improving it across the board.
01:50And the animation, I also think, looks even better this season.
01:54Everyone really kind of knocked it out of the park.
01:56We're spreading out the world, going further into the psyches of the characters,
02:00things like that.
02:01And there's a lot of big name guest stars this season.
02:04Mark Hamill, Kate Winslet.
02:05Yes.
02:05How did you go about booking the guest stars for this season?
02:08Well, you'll be shocked to know that I asked Kate Winslet because I was in a movie with her
02:12and said, please do my show.
02:14I was in Budapest shooting the movie Lee.
02:17And she kept, I think, seriously saying to me, like, I'm funny.
02:22Why am I not in your stuff?
02:23I'm funny.
02:24Let me be funny.
02:24I was like, well, I'm working on this.
02:26And like showed her an edit of Digman I was working on.
02:28I was like, do you want to do a voice on season two?
02:30And she was like, yes.
02:31And I was like, I'm going to hold you to it.
02:32She was like, fine, I'll do it.
02:34And then I called her and I think she remembered she promised and was like, fuck.
02:39But she was very nice and came and recorded and was wonderful.
02:43But yeah, I mean, we knew Mark Hamill really loved Brooklyn Nine-Nine because he was one
02:48of the famous people who helped save the show when we got canceled.
02:51And I had also met him through a movie we had produced called Brigsby Bear with Kyle
02:55Mooney.
02:56So we hoped he would join us on Digman as well because he does so much animation voice acting
03:01and he was awesome.
03:02Any dream guest stars for future seasons?
03:08You know, I just want to get Daniel Day-Lewis out of retirement.
03:10I think that would be that.
03:13Maybe Smaug the dragon.
03:16And not been into Cumberbatch.
03:17No, not Cumberbatch.
03:18I could call Cumberbatch another because I'm in the roses with him.
03:20Double plug.
03:21But no, no, the real Smaug.
03:25Amazing.
03:27And that's it.
03:27Those two.
03:28Well, we'll manifest it here on The Hollywood Reporter.
03:31We're putting it out there.
03:32Hall H panel.
03:33Have either of you been on stage in Hall H before?
03:36I'm actually not sure.
03:37I've been here twice before.
03:39Once for the movie Hot Rod and once with the cast of Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
03:42But is Hall H the biggest one?
03:44It is.
03:44Yeah, the biggest stage at Comic-Con.
03:46I think that I have not been on that one.
03:48So I'm sure it'll be mellow.
03:50I mean, and you're going to be up there with a bunch of other Comedy Central animation shows.
03:55Yes.
03:56What is it like being a part of the Comedy Central adult animation family?
04:00I mean, it's really cool.
04:01It's kind of funny to us that we're getting lumped in with these two legendary shows, but we'll take it.
04:07You know, anything to bring attention to ours as well.
04:10And we're huge fans of South Park and Beavis and Butthead and everything that Mike and those guys have done.
04:15So it's cool.
04:17It's exciting.
04:17Yeah, and everyone at Comedy Central has always been, they've never been like, no, change it to be more like a Comedy Central show.
04:23They're very, like, supportive of what we want to do.
04:25And, you know, it's always been great.
04:28You, of course, worked together before this show, and you wanted to create a new thing together, and that's how Dig Man came to be.
04:34Yeah.
04:34Why do you think you make such a great creative team?
04:38I think it's as simple as finding each other really funny all the time.
04:42Yeah.
04:42Which sounds simple, but, you know, you meet a lot of people, and a lot of them are really funny, but they're not necessarily funny how you feel funny.
04:51And I feel like Neil and I feel funny the way each other feel funny.
04:57Yeah, and I think we both wanted to create something, and it was kind of, we had similar goals, and we make each other laugh, and it really kind of just fell into place at the right time.
05:07So, since this is your Hall H debut today, we're going to do some Comic-Con bucket questions.
05:13I have the Crypto Popcorn Bucket.
05:17Got it, yeah.
05:18Really official here.
05:19Have you seen the new Superman at all?
05:21I have, yeah.
05:22What was your take?
05:23I thought it was great, and Beck Bennett, who did the voice on our show this season, is so funny.
05:29Is Beck in it?
05:30Beck's in it, yeah.
05:31He's Steve Lombard, yeah.
05:32Oh, I thought you were going to say he was Superman.
05:34Well, no, he bullies Superman.
05:36Clearly bullies Clark Kent.
05:37He bullies Clark Kent?
05:38Yeah.
05:38Oh, my God, he's perfect for that.
05:39Yeah.
05:40He came over to my house last night to watch the premiere, so.
05:42He's one of the people I was talking about.
05:43Yeah, yeah.
05:44We're bringing it all full circle.
05:45Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
05:46Talk to him last night.
05:47Yeah, but go ahead.
05:48Draw a question, and you both can answer.
05:50Okay.
05:51Ed?
05:51What's your favorite Comic-Con memory?
05:54Well, for you, you just got here about an hour ago.
05:55Yeah, for me, I just got here, so kind of this crypto conversation is number one.
06:02Mine is, I'm only thinking of this because you reminded me of it this morning.
06:06There was a Brooklyn Nine-Nine pop-up thing where you could come inside what looked like
06:10the bullpen of the 99th precinct, and Lin-Manuel came down and took a picture with me, and
06:19I texted him.
06:20It looks like an album cover, and he put a little parental guidance sticker on top of
06:24it, and he resend it to me this morning, I assume, because his phone reminded him that
06:28however many years ago today that happened.
06:31Amazing.
06:32There we go.
06:34Ooh, what's the best cosplay you've seen at Comic-Con this year?
06:37Gozer.
06:38Gozer.
06:38Yeah, we've been there about 30 minutes, and we've been interviewed by Gozer, so.
06:43Yeah, from Ghostbusters.
06:44Yes.
06:45Yeah.
06:46Not a different Gozer that you might be thinking of.
06:48Yeah, not Gozer Smith.
06:51Yeah.
06:52Is there a cosplay that you're hoping to see, Neil?
06:54Besides Digman.
06:55Besides a Digman character?
06:56And if someone's dressed as Indiana Jones, I will take it as Digman.
06:59That counts.
07:00I'm not asking.
07:00That counts as a Digman, yes.
07:02What would I want to see?
07:03I don't know.
07:03What about you?
07:04Just like any kind of, like, kaiju.
07:07Mm.
07:08Mm-hmm.
07:09I like when the people, like, when they're a robot, and then they kind of fold up, and
07:12it turns into, you know, a jet, or, like, when people do the Transformer thing.
07:16When someone actually transforms into a vehicle?
07:18Yeah.
07:19Okay.
07:20I've seen that before, where they're big, and then they get down small.
07:22Yeah, and then they kind of hunch, and then it actually looks like a jet.
07:25Oh, yeah, I have seen those.
07:25I've seen those.
07:26Yeah.
07:26But also, they could really do it.
07:28Even better.
07:29I mean, someone has to put an actual, like, jet booster in the back of their costume one
07:32time, and just go, like, zzzz.
07:34There's got to be one up at Camp Pendleton.
07:35On social media, have you seen people dressed up as Digman characters before, either for
07:42a Comic-Con or for Halloween?
07:44Have you?
07:45I'm not on social.
07:46I'm not really too much either, and I have not, but maybe this is the year.
07:51We're going to see it this weekend, and let's do one more for each of you.
07:54Okay, great.
07:56When was your first Comic-Con?
07:57Well, it must have been 2006 for Hot Rod, a movie that did great at the box office.
08:05Almost 20 years ago.
08:07Yeah.
08:07And has aired on Comedy Central.
08:09Ooh, there you go.
08:10Yeah.
08:11And this is my first Comic-Con.
08:13Amazing.
08:13That's the answer.
08:14Who's your favorite comic book villain and why?
08:17Hmm.
08:18Hmm.
08:18Hmm.
08:19If you asked me this when I was younger, I would say Kraven from the actual Spider-Man
08:26and Kraven comics.
08:27That was a classic one that I was really into.
08:30An anti-hero, really, sort of.
08:32Well.
08:33Like a villain, yeah.
08:33Yeah, yeah.
08:34This was pre-Kraven movie, you know?
08:37Gotta say Sabretooth.
08:42Amazing.
08:43And because he's strong and fast.
08:45Okay, great.
08:46Yeah, that's the one.
08:47Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
08:48All right.
08:48We'll cool it with the bucket questions.
08:50Thank you for doing that.
08:53But a couple quick questions before you guys go.
08:56Andy, for you, you have a movie coming up with Jason Momoa.
08:58How did that creative collaboration come about?
09:01Yes.
09:02I met Jason at the SNL 50th.
09:05And we were excited to meet each other.
09:08It was late at night.
09:09And I'll just leave it at that.
09:11And he picked me up and spun me around in the air.
09:14And I told this to my two friends, Rob Klein and John Solomon, who are wonderful writers as well.
09:19And they called me about a week later.
09:21And they were like, we have an idea for a movie with you and Jason Momoa.
09:23Do you think you would want to do that?
09:24And I said, I like it.
09:25Let's call him.
09:26And so we did.
09:27And he did indeed like it.
09:28And we took it out.
09:29And hopefully we'll be making it.
09:31Amazing.
09:31Can't wait to see it.
09:32And then also your Lonely Island brother directed and wrote The Naked Gun.
09:37Akiva, have you seen it?
09:38I've seen it many times, yes.
09:39And what's your take on it?
09:40I love it.
09:41It's very funny.
09:42Liam Neeson and Pam are both really, really funny.
09:46Akiva did a great job.
09:48Kiv and Dan and Doug, the writers, did a great job.
09:51It's really just joyful.
09:53And I hope everyone goes and sees it.
09:55It's so good.
09:56Yeah.
09:57Neil also saw it.
09:57Yes.
09:58Amazing.
09:59I can't wait to see it.
10:00And I know everybody is always asking you this, but are there any Lonely Island collaborations
10:04coming up where we could see you guys get back together?
10:07I mean, we have our company together.
10:09So technically everything we do is pretty much together, just not on screen or in the
10:14writer's room together.
10:15But I don't know.
10:16I mean, we had a couple of videos we got on SNL last year, which was really fun.
10:21So I'm hoping there's more stuff like that coming up.
10:25Amazing.
10:25Thank you guys so much for being here.
10:27And I hope you have a great rest of your Comic-Con.
