The Paper truly wouldn’t be the same without all the unique reporters that make up the Toledo Truth Teller.
But that doesn’t mean these reporters always get along. In fact, Nicole and Detrick have a particularly tumultuous relationship on The Paper Season 2.
I spoke with Ramona Young and Melvin Gregg about their characters’ tedious truce after the heartbreaking ending in The Paper Season 1.
Because the cast gets their scripts a few days before filming, Gregg and Young both felt a sense of anticipation as they waited to see how their characters would handle the breakup.
“Melvin and I have theories as the days continued, and we wanted certain things to happen with our characters,” Young shared. “So it was fun seeing what actually happened, and it’s a lot crazier than I could have ever predicted.”
Nicole and Detrick’s relationship wasn’t the only important bond these characters had. This season, Detrick and Travis got plenty of screen time together.
“The Travis [and Detrick] relationship was great because they saw each other as peers. I feel like a lot of times in the workplace, Detrick feels a little unsure of himself because he is a little over his head with being a reporter,” Gregg said.
“But Travis gives him the opportunity to be more confident because Travis is unsure too.”
As Travis and Detrick grow closer as friends, Nicole grows anxious about her friendship with Mare, who recently began a secret relationship with Ned.
“When your best friend goes into a relationship, and then you hardly see them again anymore, you’re like, ‘are we still friends?’” Young explained. “We’ve all been there, so I feel like it’s very relatable, but it’s also a very difficult transition for Nicole.”
Even though Nicole’s experience is universal, Young feels quite different from her character.
“I feel warmer as a person. I feel a little more optimistic,” she added. “Nicole can spiral and go into her villain arc a little sooner than I will.”
Similarly, Gregg doesn’t necessarily relate to Detrick closely; rather, he sees the character as representing a past version of himself.
He explained, “I was very observant [in my teens], and I feel like Detrick is that way. And as I came into my own and grew up, I see Detrick going through those same stages.”
When I spoke with Alex Edelman, Eric Rahill, and Duane Shepard Sr., they also noted some differences, along with a few similarities, between them and their characters.
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“Travis is maybe smarter than me. I think he actually has some hidden intelligence,” Rahill said. “I align with Travis’ desire to connect with people.”
Edelman joked, “My character [Adam] is a big, dumb idiot who is married with a lot of kids. But in real life, I don’t have kids. So, that’s where we’re different.”
Out of all the cast, Shepard Sr. found the most similarities with his character, citing, “Me and Barry are probably about the same age. I’m very opinionated and very critical of young people.”
Barry and Adam also got to share a scene that the two actors enjoyed working on together.
“I love the group scenes, but the one-on-one scenes are really fun because in the group scenes, you’re passing the ball a lot,” Edelman said. “But when you do a scene one-on-one, or you have a moment with someone one-on-one… you get to make more choices.”
For Rahill, many of those one-on-one scenes were with actress Gbemisola Ikumelo, who plays Adelola this season, as their characters’ relationship evolved.
“They’re kind of in a bickering relationship where they’re at each other’s throats. But you see it develop over the season into a real friendship and maybe something more,” Rahill teased.
While shooting The Paper Season 2, plenty of surprises came up for the actors.
Shepard Sr. enjoyed “Barry being more a part of the team” and playing an important role at the TTT.
“It’s nice to see that they’re starting to include the senior citizens in the daily operations of the workplace, which is missing in a lot of sitcoms these days,” he added.
For Young, Gregg’s unexpectedly accurate movie impression surprised her.
“Melvin does a really good Denzel Washington impression, and he practiced all week on set, and I would hear his impression, and it was so tough. I was blown away,” she said.
For her own character, she really enjoyed shooting a scene where she had to “dress up like a hologram.”
“So, I just wrapped myself in tinfoil, basically, and danced around,” Young recalled with a chuckle.
For Edelman, the surprise came from joining Rahill on the writing team and similarly pulling double duty as both an actor and a writer.
“The big surprise is watching these guys spin this thing that’s on the page and add more dimension and comedy to it than you sort of ever thought was going to be possible with them,” Edelman said.
Every great sitcom has an unforgettable ensemble cast, and it’s clear that these actors know just how important their roles are to making The Paper such a hilarious show.
The Paper Season 2 is available to stream on Peacock.
Check out our review of The Paper Season 2 here, as well as our interviews with the cast and crew!
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