The Paper Star Breaks Down Esmeraldas Moment With Terry Gross

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The Paper‘s latest season expands upon the quirks fans were introduced to when the series first debuted, including Esmeralda (Sabrina Impacciatore), the managing editor of the Toledo Truth Teller online. Warning: Spoilers for The Paper Season 2!

While she isn’t thrilled by Ned’s (Domhnall Gleeson) arrival in Season 1, her woes grow exponentially in Season 2 as he faces a demotion after a misinterpreted think piece is published online. The troubles start when she brings her son Matteo (Zak Messinger) to what she believes is a Haunted House for Halloween, but is actually a halfway house.

After writing about how the “Halfway Haunted House” isn’t that scary, Esmeralda’s insights are mistaken for a poignant thought piece that is so good, it lands her a guest appearance on Terry Gross‘s podcast. When the reality of her misinterpretation leads to an awkward moment for theToledo Truth Teller, Esmeralda is understandably punished with a demotion, forcing her to interact more directly with the rest of the team, prompting plenty of hilarity.

Below, Impacciatore breaks down Esmeralda’s Season 2 journey.

John P. Fleenor / Peacock

Esmeralda brings her son to a halfway house, thinking it’s a haunted house for Halloween. What was it like stepping into that space and reacting earnestly to a pretty non-spooky space?

Sabrina Impacciatore: I think it was one of the funniest episodes for me to play, to be honest. I really had the best fun starting with the costume. I asked Kathleen to make a very tight skirt because Esmeralda’s version of that costume, of course, had to be sexy anyway. And so I started with that and then went with Matteo. It was an adventure. We improvised a lot. We really played with everything we were looking at. I love to play this kind of misunderstanding. I love a good theme episode, and we haven’t really had that on the show yet, so to bring that into The Paper with her “Halfway Haunted House,” I’m glad I did it about such an incredible American celebration because it’s really such a big part of American culture.

Esmeralda writes a think piece about how the “Halfway Haunted House” wasn’t that scary, and it lands her on Terry Gross’s podcast. Did you actually get to film with Terry?

I did, and Terry was incredible. She was so at ease. It looked like she was acting for her entire life. I was so impressed by her. It was only a couple of takes, but it was very spontaneous. I was really reacting to her; she was very serious. It’s also so funny that the misunderstanding is so big. Esmeralda, in that moment, is in the most public situation where she’s so exposed and talking to America, and I can’t believe that in that moment she realizes the huge misunderstanding and she tries to find a solution, and she fails.

Unfortunately for Esmeralda, that leads to her demotion at theToledo Truth Teller. Was the demotion fair, and what did you enjoy about exploring her new dynamic with her coworkers?

At first, it was a trauma, like a real trauma. I was shocked, and during the table read, when I discovered that was happening, I jumped, and I said no [exaggerates], and Greg said, “Put that in your acting.” And for a few days, I also thought, “Are they trying to fire me in a different way?” It was like a double feeling of the character, and then Sabrina, like, “Oh my God, is this the beginning of the end?” At first, it was very shocking, but then I loved the journey of insecurity, fragility, fear, putting herself in discussions, trying to understand if there is anything that she can do, pushing herself to her limits. I think it was a very interesting journey, and maybe people can relate to that.

I found that very unfair, to be honest. I don’t think she deserved something so terrible, but then, once I was with the other colleagues around me, there was something nice about having Oscar on my left side. He became an ally, and so that was also an occasion to feel less isolated, less lonely, because at the end of it all, what she’s looking for is to be loved like every other human being on this planet. I think that at the very base level, there is this need to be seen, to be recognized, to be validated, and to be loved.

The Paper, Season 2, Streaming now, Peacock