For All Mankind’s Joel Kinnaman says Ed’s tragedy drew him to the character

In his interview with The Ringer, Joel Kinnaman also spoke about how Ed Baldwin had changed over the course of the show’s three seasons. He specifically noted that playing Baldwin in Season 3 was fascinating because it reflects what’s happening in the world today. In the show’s third season, Molly Cobb (Sonya Walger) chooses Ed to command NASA’s Mars mission over fellow astronaut Danielle Poole (Krys Marshall). However, Margo Madison (Wrenn Schmidt) defies Molly and puts Danielle in charge of the mission, leading Ed to leave NASA and join the private company Helios, run by Dev Ayesa (Edi Gathegi). to command their competing private mission to Mars.

Kinnaman pointed out that, much like members of an older generation today, Baldwin has never had to question his privilege or his place in the world. He was able to take things for granted and never questioned whether he would get a job despite qualifying. Losing the NASA mission to Poole led him to lash out and claim Poole got the job despite her qualifications, not because of them.

The performer concluded that while greater equality for people would lead to a better society, it was still difficult for someone like Baldwin to come to terms with, leading to his decision to join Helios.