In honor of Apple TV+’s Palm Royale, actor Josh Lucas hung up John Dutton’s cowboy hat and put on Douglas Simmons’ pilot hat.
In Abe Sylvia’s star-studded new comedy, which dropped its first three episodes on March 20, Lucas plays husband to protagonist Maxine Simmons (Kristen Wiig), a Palm Beach newbie determined to rise the social ranks and become a high-society icon.
When the series kicks off, Douglas is frequently out of the picture, away on work. But as Palm Royale progresses, Lucas’ character becomes a real presence in Palm Beach as a comical, somewhat clueless personality who goes with the flow and, again, is definitely not a cowboy.
Fans of Lucas’ are likely aware that he plays a younger version of Kevin Costner’s John Dutton in Taylor Sheridan’s popular Western drama, Yellowstone, but while speaking on apanel at the Television Critics Association’s Winter 2024 Press Tour in February, Palm Royale executive producers reminded Lucas of the monumental role and revealed he filmed Yellowstone at the same time as the Apple TV+ series. According to Lucas, “Yellowstone had to work around Palm Royale.”
When gushing over Palm Royale‘s star-studded cast — which includes Carrol Burnett, Ricky Martin, Leslie Bibb, Allison Janney, and more big names — the actor explained, “They said to me in the negotiation. They’re like, ‘Josh, you’re the only one who’s not a rock star, a supermodel, an Oscar-winner, a comedy legend, a comedy genius.’ But then, to have this kind of constant one-upmanship of — in the best way of professionalism and of joy. It was a set that was just filled with joy.”
“You’re John Dutton…legend,” co-star and EP Laura Dern reminded him. “Number one show in the world,” EP Katie O’Connell added, piling on the Yellowstone praise.
EP Jayme Lemons told TCA members that Lucas was going back and forth filming Yellowstone and Palm Royale and he’d occasionally share photos on his phone, saying, “Look at this cow I was shooting with yesterday.”
“I would leave work on Friday on Palm Royale and go on Saturday morning and shoot Yellowstone and shoot John Dutton,” Lucas explained. “And because I worked out this crazy thing where Palm Royale was my primary job, Yellowstone had to work around Palm Royale, and I would literally fly straight to Montana, and get on a cow, and put on a mustache, put on Kevin Costner’s voice, and then go right back to Douglas.”
Once Yellowstone fans watch Palm Royale, they’ll feel like the two shows, characters, and locations couldn’t be more different, but the roles emphasize Lucas’ range, and he describes the back and forth as “a crazy, wonderful challenge.”