“One of the most exciting storylines was in episode 6 with Laura Dern’s character and her father Bruce Dern,” reflects Stephanie Laing about directing real-life father and daughter Hollywood royalty on “Palm Royale.” In our recent webchat she adds, “I didn’t know who was playing Skeet. It was my first day and they say it’s Bruce. I’m pretty sure I had a heart attack. That’s a lot to do, but what a privilege.” Watch our exclusive video interview above.
Laing directed episodes 5 and 6 of “Palm Royale.” The Apple TV+ period comedy was created by Abe Sylvia and tracks the ambitious Maxine, played by Kristen Wiig, trying to navigate the social politics and treachery at the exclusive club. The show also stars Carol Burnett, Allison Janney and Ricky Martin.
Laura and Bruce play Linda and Skeet, a daughter and dad with a fractured relationship. Episode 5 details the events of a decades old wedding where Linda accidentally shot Skeet. Episode 6 sees both come together to seek reconciliation. The episode concludes with a psychedelic scene where they both trip on LSD. Laing reveals, “I remember a moment where they are in the space capsule, which was on blue screen. Abe and I were behind the monitors playing this Bridget Saint John song and completely, for both of us, water sprung from our eyes. We were watching something so beautiful happening. We set the mood by playing a beautiful sad song and letting them do their magic.”
On approaching the tone of the show, the director explains, “We never played a joke for a joke. We played everything straight. It’s sort of like how you live your life. Things are absurd and sad and happy. I just focus on those things, then the character nuances. Kristen would do these things where she would scream occasionally as Maxine. I remember being on set one day for episode 5 and saying, ‘I think it’s ok for you to scream again here.’ Tracking all the little details of characters. It’s really about the character details for me.”
With four episodes remaining in the season, Laing admits, “To me ‘Palm Royale’ is about self discovery and Maxine’s journey. She want’s so desperately to be part of something. It’s about finding your people finding where you belong and maybe ultimately realizing you belong right where you were at the beginning. I haven’t seen the last three and my biggest question is where is Maxine going to end up?”
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