Warning: Mild spoilers for the “Upload” Season 2 finale follow below.
Part of the fun of the Amazon Prime Video comedy sci-fi series “Upload” is the various ways in which showrunner Greg Daniels and his writers poke fun at how humanity’s reliance on technology gets even worse in the future. A particular gag in the Season 2 finale finds Nora (Andy Allo) calling 911, only to be greeted by a “please hold” message from actress Jennifer Garner.
So when TheWrap spoke with Daniels recently about “Upload” Season 2, we asked if that was really Garner on the other end of the line. As it turns out, yes, that’s actually Jennifer Garner, and the story behind her casting involves a viral Instagram post of hers about watching “The Office” – which Daniels developed and was showrunner.
“I had a small connection to Jennifer Garner because a good friend of mine produced an early show of hers and is friendly with her, and I know that she was a big ‘Office’ fan because she posted a tearful Instagram post about watching the finale,” Daniels told TheWrap. “So I felt like she might be receptive, and she was completely into it and did it really funny and quick.”
In 2020, an Instagram post of Garner’s drew attention as she posted a video of herself crying after watching the series finale of “The Office,” and so Daniels figured he had a shot given that the “Alias” actress was a fan of his earlier show.
As for where the idea behind having a famous person provide the “hold” message for 911 came from, Daniels took inspiration from New York City cabs. “It was, basically, like it would be funny if the police department was using a famous actor who had some associations with action to sort of ally peoples’ nerves or whatever while they waited and listened to a recorded piece of uselessness,” the showrunner explained. “Kind of like the way in the back of a New York City cab there’s a famous person telling you to buckle up or something.”
All episodes of “Upload” Season 2 are now streaming on Prime Video.
