It doesn’t take much imagination to think the phrase “wild west” might be an apt description for the time Jai Courtney spent at WAAPA in the Noughties.
After all, the actor has made a career of playing bad boys, even when cast as a good guy.
His latest role puts him literally in the Wild West (a modern interpretation, at least), as the reckless scion of an American cattle dynasty on the Paramount Plus series, Dutton Ranch.
According to Paramount’s own data, the series debut last month set a record for the streamer, with the first two episodes amassing 12.9 million views within seven days of release.
It comfortably beat the previous record of 8.8 million views achieved by the series premiere of Mobland last year.
Dutton Ranch is another branch of the Sheridan-verse, the cowboy-centric media empire of Taylor Sheridan, who turned a modest career as an actor, in shows such as Sons Of Anarchy, into an acclaimed second act as a writer, director and producer.
Sheridan penned the Oscar-nominated script for Hell Or High Water but really made his mark as co-creator of the hit series, Yellowstone, which single-handedly resurrected Kevin Costner’s career.
The success of Yellowstone spawned the spin-offs 1883 and 1923, with the latter giving us Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford as an earlier generation of the Dutton family, which the broader franchise is centred on.
Dutton Ranch sees Yellowstone characters Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) and Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) leave the ghosts of their past in Montana behind for a new life in South Texas.
But trouble has a way of finding this family and it comes in the form of rival ranchers, the Jacksons, who are used to getting their own way in this neck of the woods.
Matriarch Beulah Jackson — played by Annette Bening! — rules with an iron fist but youngest son Rob-Will (Courtney) is the kind of loose cannon that could ruin everything she’s built.
“He’s the heir to an old-money, old ranching family, and there’s a lot of legacy tied up in that, but he’s probably the worst person you could imagine to take over the kingdom,” Courtney explains over a Zoom call with STM.
“He’s a dude with a lot of issues, and somewhat of a product of his environment, he’s gotten into substances, and there’s going to be trauma that we unpack as the show goes down the line.
“You’ll come to learn more about what’s troubling all these folks, and what they’re all mixed up in, but he’s struggling in his personal life. Ultimately that’s going to affect his ability to have any control over the Jackson ranch and the legacy moving forward.”
On the topic of legacy, Bening brings a considerable one to the project and Courtney couldn’t be happier to have the screen legend as his on-screen mum.
“That’s a total pinch yourself thing when you find out that you’re going to be connected in that way, and I can’t wait for audiences to see that relationship bloom, because we get into some really good stuff later in the season,” the Aussie actor reveals.
“She’s an immortal, man. What a treasure. I was just privileged to share the space with her, and she’s just such a beautiful human on top of that.”
In what is one of the greatest casting achievements in recent memory, Dutton Ranch has the inimitable Ed Harris as the town’s grizzled vet.
“He’s one of those dudes that drifts around the set and you kind of just lock onto him, because he has a sort of mystique about him, and a quiet confidence,” Courtney says.
Having played the anti-hero, Captain Boomerang, in Suicide Squad and a serial killer in Dangerous Animals, Courtney is right at home on the range as Rob-Will.
In fact, the cowboy life kinda suits him.
“Anytime you shoot in the West, you end up being pulled into that,” he admits. “When you hang out with cowboys and do horse training for film, and you get comfortable, it’s like there’s something so cool about that culture and that aesthetic. It definitely gets under your skin pretty quick.
“You start dressing like a cowboy in everyday life.”
Courtney is open to reprising the role of Rob-Will if Dutton Ranch is renewed for a second season, which is unconfirmed after showrunner Chad Feehan departed in controversial circumstances, before the series launch, amid rumours of clashes with the lead actors and other key players.
But, with Sheridan in the saddle, you wouldn’t bet against Paramount rustling up season two.
“He writes great drama; usually the stories are pretty grounded, and the plots are pretty simple, but there’s just great, iconic characters,” Courtney says of Sheridan.
“I don’t know, man; he’s tapped into something. He found the code.”
Dutton Ranch is streaming on Paramount Plus
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