Mild spoilers below for those who haven’t yet caught up with Twisted Metal’s fourth episode via Peacock subscription, so be warned!
The first five episodes of Twisted Metal’s second season, at least to me, deliver as many fun and exciting moments as the entire first season did, and it’s a huge highlight on the 2025 TV schedule. (And I’m not bumping on Season 1, which I adored.) From the barrage of weirdo new characters like Lisa Gilroy’s Vermin to exploring the ins and outs of Calypso’s tournament, I’m having a blast, and never more than when Joe Seanoa’s Sweet Tooth and Mike MItchell’s Stu are sharing the screen.
I talked to the hilarious co-stars about their highly gory buddy-comedy escapades in Season 2, and I had to ask Seanoa (who dons the Sweet Tooth costume while Will Arnett provides the voice) if having the character’s signature clown mask on made it easier to hide his laughter while filming. As seen in the video above, he confirmed that it is indeed easier to shield his reactions to certain moments. In his words:
Oh, a lot. Tons of breaks were hidden by that mask, thankfully. Especially [Episode 4], yeah, I had lots to laugh about. So, yeah, it helped. It helped not ruin the mood, because it can be very serious on set.
Joe Seanoa
For all the fun and hilarious moments that show up on the screen, it means Twisted Metal's cast and crew were bringing their all-serious A-game to the production. Despite being a big dude who can handle criticism, the WWE and AEW vet doesn't want to be the guy holding filming up because he's visibly chuckling behind the clown mask. (Of all the on-screen foibles to make, a laughing clown doesn't seem that sinful.)
Seanoa continued, saying he thinks it's a top-tier get where necessary masks are concerned:
It has its challenges, but at the same time, it's such a fun face to bring life to. It's got this huge, big, dumb smile. Listen, of all the masks you could have, it's probably one of the better masks you could have if you want to get across the point.
Joe Seanoa
If Sweet Tooth's vibe was more about oozing charm and empathy, that mask would not be the way to go. We all know that's not his M.O., though.
For all that Joe Seanoa knows how to keep his professional composure while filming, he hilariously let some of that slide during our interview to lightly troll Mike Mitchell just as he was sharing a variety of compliments.
- MIKE MITCHELL: Joe is such an incredible actor and performer, and his physicality is incredible. So it's, honestly, it's easy to…
- JOE SEANOA [interrupting]: Mitch is a great high jumper. I don't know if you guys know that. He's one of the better ones that I've seen on set. So just don't let that fact go unsaid. Thank you.
- MIKE MITCHELL: He's right. I can get like, two inches off the ground. Joe such a good actor, such a good performer. It's so easy to play across from him for that reason. If it's not six in the morning, it is hard to not break.
I can imagine that getting to set and ready for filming before 6 A.M can lead to some moments where absolutely nothing seems funny or worth breaking over. But once that misery evens out, let the good times roll.
To that end, though, Mitchell pointed out that there were moments where the duo went off-script and took moments a bit too far comedically, to the point where someone else chimed in.
- MIKE MITCHELL: There's a scene when I'm in my underwear where I was trying to get a missile out and turning around in circles. And I think Joe and I will push it to the limits where we'll go extremely silly, and they'll be like, 'Okay, reel it back.' Or they'll just cut it out.
- JOE SEANOA: Right, 'Knock out the Keystone Cops. Bring it back into reality, boys.'
One might think it'd be easy to get away with performing behind a mask like Sweet Tooth's, but not being able to deliver facial expressions means everything else about the physical performance needs to be top-notch. And Mike MItchell says that Seanoa is even able to keep up with the flow when the actors start improvising during scenes. In his words:
Joe has such a great performance background. He nails all these lines in every scene, and a lot of people on set, a lot of the actors this year are improvisers, and Joe just rolls with all that so well, too, on top of it. He's great at what he does, and so it's easy to perform across from it for that reason.
Mike Mitchell
I gotta say, there's no way I would have been able to make it through this particular moment without guffawing in the most plainly visible way to anyone paying attention. "Sweet Toot's Tournament" alone is enough to send my into giggling hysterics.
Don’t expect Sweet Tooth to get all obsessed with The Baby-Sitters Club books like Anthony Mackie’s John Doe. That said, I wouldn’t put it past Stu, especially if he can lay down on a comfy couch instead of riding around looking for victims.
All creative teams working on upcoming video game adaptations should take note of how to have a good time. Twisted Metal will bring even more when new episodes drop on Thursdays, with the sixth and seventh episodes arriving on August 14.
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