Steve Zahn Breaks Down That Jaw-Dropping ‘Silo’ Season 2 Finale

Steve Zahn has always been the pepper on steak and the salt on chips. He’s always welcome, a perfect addition, and makes everything he’s a part of that much better. Lately, Zahn’s been adding his special blend to massive television series like The White Lotus, George & Tammy, and The Righteous Gemstones. Now, he’s been mixed into the cast of Apple TV+’s acclaimed series Silo Season 2 as Silo 17 survivor Solo.

Created and written by Graham Yost (Justified) and adapted from the novels by Hugh Howey, Silo tells the story of the last 10,000 people on Earth, dwelling within their mile-deep home protecting them from the poisonous world outside. Nobody knows when or why Silo 18 was built, and there are dire consequences for truth-seekers. Rebecca Ferguson stars as Juliette, an engineer who finds herself deep in a mystery more mind-blowing than she could have dreamed. Zahn plays Solo — or Jimmy — who lives alone in the abandoned Silo 17, soon becoming fast friends with Juliette. The show also stars Tim Robbins (The Shawshank Redemption) and Common (Selma).

Collider’s own Tania Hussain had the distinct pleasure of speaking with Zahn to discuss the Season 2 finale of Silo. Together, they discussed their fandom of the series, peeling back layer after mysterious layer of the show’s ever-evolving storyline (like, what the Safeguard protocol means), his character’s earnest, sibling-like relationship with Ferguson’s Juliette, and why it took him so long to finally watch Nora Ephron’s Christmas classic You’ve Got Mail.

Jimmy’s World Is Ultra Dialed In

“He’s lived by himself for so long in this tight little thing.”

COLLIDER: Steve, I’m so happy to chat with you again. Congrats on everything with the show! I’m so happy we’re getting Seasons 3 and 4 now. This is amazing news! I’m really excited for you guys, and I want to get into it, but first, I wanted to start with something fun. I did ask your co-stars this before, and I’m now curious what your answer would be. Relics are such a big part of the show, especially at the end with that PEZ dispenser. I’d like to know if you could pick one relic from our world to bring into the silo as yourself, what would it be?

STEVE ZAHN: It would be an instrument, probably. It would be something that I could use, like a guitar or something. Yeah, if I had to go to 18, I would bring something like that for sure.

It’s a great answer! So, let’s talk about the finale — it kept me on the edge of my seat. But first, I want to talk about Solo, who’s now known as Jimmy. One of my first questions is really about the safeguard. What was your reaction as a performer who’s generally invested in these characters and their welfare to figuring out what that was for everybody?

ZAHN: It was such a flurry, you know what I mean? It happened so fast, this memory coming back and understanding the world on a different level. It’s hard for me to get outside the character and talk about it. I don’t know. We didn’t really think about it.

There’s a moment where Jimmy does remember the safeguard procedure as the only way to save her silo. How do you think that moment actually reflects his own struggle with the choices he’s made in his past versus his desire to help her because he is now her friend?

ZAHN: He doesn’t fully understand what it is. It’s not until later that we learn the specifics of that. We know that it’s enough for her to leave. I think he’s more preoccupied with that, like a friend. Not even about the world. It’s this person, this tangible thing in front. It’s not computing the entire world. He’s lived by himself for so long in this tight little thing that it’s hard to think about this other silo.

Jimmy’s Special Relationship With Rebecca Ferguson’s Juliette

I feel like there is a very strong connection. They have a sibling sort of relationship where one is leaning on the other, and it goes back and forth. That decision that he took to go and check the suit for her, I thought was such a sweet, endearing moment. From their relationship, what do you think motivated him to take that risk? Because he does care. Then I saw she was trying to hug him, and he backed out because he didn’t know what that meant. He doesn’t have the social cue for that.

ZAHN: He did it because he cares. You said it. Because there’s love even in this stoic, gray, hard-edged world, where it’s about survival and there are rusty fans. There’s love in a real beautiful, simple way. It’s friendship, and that’s what I love about it. There’s so much going on in this season. It’s huge, and then it’s this tiny little relationship.

I think that relationship is literally the heart of the show. That is something that I’ve been loving so much because we do see a different layer to Rebecca’s character, Juliette, but then we also have this new character that I’m so hopeful to see more of, especially the dynamic you have with the kids in the silo. Do you think in Season 3 or Season 4, there’s something there that we can hope for beyond what happened? I think there’s more to all of them, especially for Jimmy. I would love to know if there’s life for Jimmy in Seasons 3 and 4.

ZAHN: Yeah, right? [Laughs]

We all do! He is such a sweet character, and I feel like you embodied him so wonderfully this season. For us as fans to get that, you add heart to the show. There’s so much grim, there’s so much darkness, and then you’re this sweet, very soft spot that really is just so great to see.

ZAHN: Thank you. I agree, and that’s what I loved about it when I read it and was pitched it. I was like, “This is going to be really cool. This is going to be really fun to play.” Rebecca and I talked about it like, “Let’s do something completely opposite.” It’s almost, tonally, totally different. And go, “I hope it works. Let’s just be honest, and if we’re honest, it’ll work.” It was really fun to play. It was an absolute joy to go to work and discover stuff and to play and mess around with my pal. It was just great. It was ideal.

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Outside of her character, are there any certain relationships or dynamics that you’re looking forward to in Season 3? Somebody that you’d want to work with? Any characters or any actors that you would love to be on scene with?

ZAHN: Yeah! I mean, I know people, but I don’t know! I haven’t worked with anybody. For me, it’s fun to think of the possibility of being a part of something that is so foreign and so different. When I initially went to London, I flew out in early summer, and I went to the wrap party for Silo 18, and I hadn’t worked a day. How crazy is that? So when I went to the wrap party, I didn’t know anybody other than Rick Gomez, who’s my producing partner and one of my best friends. Coincidentally, we’re in the show together, which is insane. So I knew a lot about the show because of Rick. So I had the wrap party, and then the strike happened. So I came back home, and how long was that? Six months. Five months? Something like that. So, my beard got real long.

It is helpful. It adds to the gravitas of Jimmy’s character.

ZAHN: [Laughs] I hated it, man.

I’m sure!

Steve Zahn Wants to Explore This With Jimmy in Season 3

“It constantly evolves and it’s always fluid.”

Did you get to watch the finale? I’m so curious what your thoughts were on seeing those last moments in Washington. That juxtaposition of everything dark, grim, apocalyptic, and then these people living a normal life and going to a bar and having a date.

ZAHN: Pretty fascinating, right? That’s what I love. It’s like, “Oh, wait. Now we’re going to find out more.” It’s just peeling back an onion, man. It’s a mystery, it’s not a sci-fi. It’s like, “What? How? Why? What’s the point? What’s in the distance?” All that stuff. There are so many things to be answered. That’s why a show like this can be extremely complicated, to the point where I don’t even want to know. Just send me the scripts.

Is there anything that excites you about Jimmy’s depth and layers that we could probably see in Season 3? Anything you want to get to with him?

ZAHN: Just personally, it’s interesting to think about interacting with people, and how fast do social skills…? You know what I mean? What are the things that will never change? He’s always kind of a kid. I don’t know, it really depends on the day. That’s the beauty of acting and the beauty of doing this. You can read a script and go, “Okay, I know exactly why,” and then overprepare and go to set, and then the other person comes in, and you’re like, “Oh, you’re angry. That’s interesting. I never thought about that. That’s great! Let’s do it like that. It changes everything.” That’s why I over-prepare. It constantly evolves and it’s always fluid. In it, you think, “Oh, I’m going to do this,” or, “This is how my character’s going to think.” It changes.

I totally get it. I’m so happy for this show.

Steve Zahn Reveals His Lost ‘You’ve Got Mail’ Storyline

“It took me a long time to watch it because all that stuff we did was so fun.”

Because you have the fireplace up there it’s got me thinking about how my favorite holiday movie is You’ve Got Mail. I love that one so much. Your character, George, I sometimes wonder if he was the rooftop killer, but I don’t think he was because he’s too kind. There’s a whole generation of people who love the film. Thanks to streaming, it’s revived that nostalgia for people. The film did turn 25 last year, and it’s such a big part of pop culture. Have there been moments when you are so surprised by how much people still love to talk about the movie and quote the movie?

ZAHN: Oh my God, constantly! Look, the inside baseball there is, I had a love interest in the movie.

Oh my God, did you?!

ZAHN: The detective! It was so fun. We had an instant infatuation. She came to my apartment, and she goes, “I need to ask you a few questions,” and we can’t help it; we’re just attracted to each other, physically and emotionally. So everybody I work with is like, “How are you…? What’s going on?” That was my story. She was investigating this thing. So I went to loop, I went to ADR, and Nora [Ephron] was there, and she’s like, “Steve, I have some really bad news.” I go, “What?” She goes, “We had to cut, because of time and stuff, your love interest.” And I’m like, “Oh, she’s going to be so– Wait, why am I in the movie?” [Laughs] Anyway, just know that I had to loop stuff to make sense of scenes and things. So, there’s a little history for you.

I love that so much. That brings so much joy to me because that is the movie I watch all the time on Christmas Eve.

ZAHN: It was hard for me. It took me a long time to watch it because all that stuff we did was so fun. It was so beautiful.

Justice for George. I wish he had more of a story because he’s very interesting.

ZAHN: He did! He did. You learn how to read scripts, and you go, “Are they going to cut Tom Hanks, or are they gonna cut me?” [Laughs]

All episodes of Silo Season 2 finale are now available to stream on Apple TV+. Watch On Apple TV+

Men and women live in a giant silo underground with several regulations which they believe are in place to protect them from the toxic and ruined world on the surface.

Cast

Rebecca Ferguson
, Common
, Tim Robbins
, Harriet Walter
, Christian Ochoa Lavernia
, Avi Nash
, Billy Postlethwaite
, Chinaza Uche
, Iain Glen
, Remmie Milner
, David Oyelowo
, Rick Gomez
, Ferdinand Kingsley
, Shane McRae
, Chipo Chung
, Caitlin Zoz
, Matt Gomez Hidaka
, Angela Yeoh
, Olatunji Ayofe
, Khairika Sinani
, Will Patton
, Akie Kotabe

Story By

Hugh Howey

Showrunner

Graham Yost

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