For a series that only premiered in late April, The Mosquito Coast has already had a long life. The story of a possibly brilliant inventor who, with his family, flees to Central America and leaves destruction in his wake began in 1981 with a novel by Paul Theroux, who serves as a producer on the Apple TV+ series; five years later, it was made into a movie starring Harrison Ford.
The action-packed new series, which stars Theroux’s nephew Justin as protagonist Allie Fox, doesn’t hew too closely to the novel or film, but instead takes themes from the story and weaves them into a new narrative that plays out over seven episodes. And despite the car chases, international adventure, and always-lurking bad guys, the heart of the series’ conflict still exists within the Fox family, played by Theroux, Melissa George (as Margot Fox, Allie’s wife), Gabriel Bateman (as Charlie), and Logan Polish (as Dina).
Here, Polish explains why a 40-year-old book still resonates today, and how filming action sequences taught her valuable, if unexpected, life lessons.
Were you familiar with the story of The Mosquito Coast before joining the series?
Growing up, I’d heard about it through my dad, who loved the movie and the book. When I got the audition for the role, my dad couldn’t believe it. It was a full moment circle for him, but I hadn’t read the book or seen the movie yet, so I wasn’t yet sure what I was getting myself into.
What is it about the story that you think has kept people interested in it for so long?
The tell of really good art is that it can resonate even as time progresses. The one thing that really allows this story to stay relevant is that at its core, it’s about something people can relate to: a family dealing with uncertainly and adversity. That’s something we can always recognize.
Your character, Dina, starts off as a normal teenager but is thrust into a whirlwind of unexpected events. What does the season have in store for her?
We only had the first two episodes initially, so I had no idea where she would go. Every time I’d read an episode, I’d text Justin, Gabriel, or Melissa and ask, “did you see this?” because I was so surprised. Over the course of the season, you start to see more of her father in her. No matter how much she rejects him, she’s ultimately his daughter and I love to see that grain of madness expand within her.
The show combines the elements of a family drama with a lot of action—especially for you.
The days I showed up to do those stunts, I thought it would be relaxed, but there actually ended up being more pressure because it takes time to reset those scenes; if you don’t break a window right, it takes 20 minutes to make it unbroken.
Has anything stuck with you from doing those stunts?
I love a scene where I undid Justin’s handcuffs because I really did do it—I actually picked the lock with a shim. I’m so proud of it every time I see it, because everyone was like, “oh, we can fake it,” but I was determined. It’s really not that hard; I remember Justin saying, “it’s fine, you don’t have to do it,” but I got it on the first time.
Adam Rathe is Town & Country's Deputy Features Director, covering arts and culture and a range of other subjects.
![the substance photocall the 77th annual cannes film festival](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/demi-moore-attends-the-the-substance-photocall-at-the-77th-news-photo-1716218787.jpg?crop=0.668xw:1.00xh;0.135xw,0&resize=360:* ""The Substance" Photocall - The 77th Annual Cannes Film Festival")
