Palm Royale is that beach-club fest with a loaded cast (Kristen Wiig, Ricky Martin, Laura Dern, Carol Burnett and Leslie Bibb, to name a few) that pays close attention to the period detail of the late 1960s. The Apple TV show is now in its second season, diving deeper into the politics of a Palm Beach high-society resort club.
The show revolves around Maxine Dellacorte-Simmons (Kristen Wiig), who wants to break into the high-flying Palm Beach set but soon finds herself in a tussle with a spiteful bunch: Evelyn Rollins (played by Allison Janney); ambassador’s wife Dinah Donohue (Leslie Bibb), who is always in the middle of scandals; and the eccentric Mary Meredith Jones Davidsoul (Julia Duffy). The rising Florida sun beats down on a seemingly beaten Maxine. Robert Diaz (Ricky Martin), the handsome bartender, knows plenty when it comes to the truth of the society the show inhabits.
The first episode of the new season unfolds in the aftermath of the Beach Ball and Mary’s failed attempt to assassinate Richard Nixon.
“In the first season, everybody talked about the fashion because it was unreal. Believe it or not, we’ve taken it to another level. In the second season, the story is bold, the acting is insane, what you see in fashion, it’s very special,” Ricky Martin told us over a late-night video call to discuss the latest season of the show.
The candy-coloured, 1960s-inspired production design features all things vintage, from furniture to barware to wardrobe. If hot kaftan summer is on your mind when you remember the 1960s, it’s in the show, and so are wicker and cane furnishings.
Leslie Bibb (left) and Kristen Wiig in Palm Royale.
Palm Royale costume designer Alix Friedberg is responsible for the look of the show. She attended both the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising and Otis Parsons School of Design. She began her career in costume design as an assistant to several esteemed designers before striking out on her own with her first independent film. Since then, she has designed over 20 films as well as a number of critically acclaimed series, which have made her one of the most sought-after costume designers in the industry today. Her credits include Sharp Objects and Big Little Lies.
“She’s extraordinary and so collaborative. Her specificity for each character… when it comes to costumes, once you put it on, she goes through hair and make-up. It suddenly takes a little less acting; it sort of helps the acting. It makes it easier in a way because suddenly you’re holding your body differently and it just helps who you embody,” said Leslie Bibb, who plays Dinah Donohue.
A ‘therapeutic’ character
If the first season dealt with themes of belonging, the return of the series takes audiences on a vivid journey of female empowerment and feminism, in keeping with the changes ushering in the dawn of the 1970s.
In spite of the glittering exteriors of Palm Beach society, life for many of its colourful inhabitants is one of confinement. Whether by its strict social and gender codes or its unspoken hierarchies, it is extraordinary to watch as they excel at breaking convention.
A surprising alliance shift in season two is between Norma (Carol Burnett) and the country club’s bartender, Robert, portrayed by Ricky Martin. Robert is the keeper of Norma’s potentially most destructive secret. For Martin, the role has been a deeply personal one.
“The emotions that a gay man felt back in the 60s, a closeted gay man felt back in the 60s, and the emotions that a closeted gay man feels today — I’m going to be honest, unfortunately, they’re the same. I believe that actors don’t lie, we just feel, and we try to be there in the moment, and everything that was written for Robert was very deep,” he said.
Martin feels that his character has become very “therapeutic” for him. “You have no idea, in real life, how many people I have got rid of since I’ve been working with Robert because Robert has shown me the things I want and the things I definitely don’t want in my life. A lot of cleaning has been done and I feel very light after working with Robert. I hope we have a third season. What I’m trying to say by this is the honour of telling this story, where I know a lot of people will identify and hopefully my performance will have an impact — I did my best.”
Fun moments
Without giving away anything, there is a musical element to the new season. “For me, musical moments were so important when I did theatre. And for me to be able to start telling this specific story with music, it’s wonderful. Obviously, my challenge was not to be Ricky Martin when I’m performing the number. Even though I’ve acted before, this was very challenging in many ways. There were no easy scenes, but in a good way. I just feel that I grew a lot as an actor, and for that I will always be thankful because of the people I’m working with, and because there’s always this camaraderie on set — this is my experience — that we were there for each other, and that is something so important,” said Martin.
Needless to say, shooting the new season came with its share of fun, especially for Leslie Bibb. “One that really comes to mind is when we drug my husband… we drug Perry so that he doesn’t get shot by the mob. And it is Kristen (Wiig), myself, Allison (Janney), and I think it’s Mindy (Cohn)… the four of us… we have to carry Perry out. And he had to be carried flat. It’s not a natural way to carry somebody. So we’re carrying him and doing this shuffle. I don’t know what happened, but we dropped him. Then we fell on top of him. It was like a bad game of Twister that happened. We were all legs and hands and God, and then we had to shove him into the back of a car.”
The fun moments helped punctuate the serious elements of women finding each other and finding community. “I think we’re keeping up with the Joneses, our status and our station. And then I think it goes even deeper to what will make us happy, what will make us feel seen, what will become the community, the company we want to keep. All of these themes come down to living a life where people find each other. We’re better together than solo,” said Bibb.
The first season of Palm Royale received 11 Emmy Award nominations, including Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series (Kristen Wiig), and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Carol Burnett). From Apple Studios, the show is written, executive produced and showrun by Abe Sylvia for Aunt Sylvia’s Moving Picture Company. Season two is now on air.