‘MacGruber’ Newbies Laurence Fisburne, Billy Zane & More Introduce Their Characters

MacGruber is back and bringing new characters along for his latest mission in Peacock‘s comedy series, which serves as a sequel to the 2010 movie and iconic Saturday Night Live sketches.

While Will Forte is taking center stage once again as the titular hero with teammates Vicki St. Elmo (Kristen Wiig) and Dixon Piper (Ryan Phillippe), there’s fresh blood among MacGruber’s allies and nemesis. Stepping in as his latest foe is Billy Zane in the role of Brigadier Commander Enos Queeth, who has a history with MacGruber.

Meanwhile, the men recruiting MacGruber for his latest mission are General Barrett Fasoose (Laurence Fishburne) and his associate Harold Kernst (Joseph Lee Anderson). Together, these newbies provide twists and turns that only a seasoned pro like MacGruber could handle.

(Credit: John Golden Britt/Peacock)

“He is an old friend of Mac’s and has quite innocently fallen in love with Vicki and has married her because she’s a sucker for a man in uniform,” Fishburne teases of his character General Fasoose. As fans of MacGruber may recall, the 2010 film concluded with the wedding of Mac and Vicki, which was interrupted by his now-dead foe Dieter Von Cunth (Val Kilmer).

Since Mac’s been away in prison for his over-the-top killing of Cunth, Fasoose has won Vicki’s heart. “I’ve been instructed by the president to go and encourage Mac to come out for one last mission that will reinstate him, his rank, and his life,” Fishburne further explains. “He’s not really onboard with it, at first.” Why might that be? Well, it’s basically a suicide mission.

Following in Fasoose’s footsteps is Kernst, who Anderson explains, “is the right-hand man to Fasoose,” adding that he goes “by the book.” Not too dissimilar to Piper in the original movie, Kernst is a promising military man who has a conventional approach to situations, which doesn’t always align with MacGruber’s extreme ways. He’s a “very upright individual, who admires MacGruber … until he meets MacGruber.”

(Credit: John Golden Britt/Peacock)

Meanwhile, Commander Queeth’s out for blood when it comes to MacGruber. “He was an old compatriot who became an arch-nemesis and rival to MacGruber,” teases Zane. “He’s now seeking revenge for an ill-fated mission that went south that he blames MacGruber for.”

Despite the level of seriousness under which these characters operate in the world, the actors admit that it was harder keeping a straight face than they let on. “Don’t think for a moment that we weren’t laughing,” Fishburne remarks. “We were struggling to keep from laughing.”

Related

'MacGruber' Stars Will Forte, Kristen Wiig & Ryan Phillippe on Their Big Return

“There’s a whole movie before action, and after cut, which is basically everyone just being brought to their knees,” Zane echoes, adding that it’s “a testament to the work that Will, Kristen, and Ryan were doing.” The laughs were all in good fun, which definitely put Anderson at ease as production got underway.

“I was definitely nervous,” Anderson reveals about joining this crew of seasoned comedy stars. “And then you get there and see just how kind and humble all these heavy hitters are. They made me feel like I was a part of the family, so it was definitely an amazing experience.”

See how they brought that humor and more to screen by streaming MacGruber on Peacock now.

MacGruber, Streaming now, Peacock