Kristen Wiig & Ricky Martin on What Could Happen in ‘Palm Royale’ Season 2

[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for Palm Royale.]

The big picture

• In the Apple TV+ series “Palm Royale,” Maxine Dellacorte Simmons craves acceptance from elite society and resorts to extreme measures for recognition.
• Interactions with Carol Burnett on set were inspiring, forcing the cast to remain professional.
• Both Kristen Wiig and Ricky Martin are hoping for a season 2 of the show amid the dramatic emergency of the finale.

The 10-episode Apple TV+ series Palm Royale tells the story of Maxine Simmons (Kristen Wiig), how bad it is to be part of high society in Palm Beach in 1969, but he quickly learns that they are not very accepting of outsiders. The harder the former beauty pageant contestant fights to be friends with women like Evelyn Rollins (Allison Janney) and Dinah Donahue (Leslie Bibb), plus they try to kick her out, regardless of the fact that she is married to the heir (Josh Lucas) to the Dellacorte fortune. But Maxine is not someone who can be dismissed easily and her desperation combined with a cluster of societal secrets makes her more determined than ever to make her mark.

Maxine just wants to be a part of the Palm Royale Country Club's elite circle of women, seeking genuine friendship among people who judge each other by their level of wealth and influence. And while Maxine has married into the Dellacorte family, she moved into Norma's (Carol Burnett) and declared her legal guardian, her position (or lack thereof) in high society is unmoved, making Maxine even more desperate to do her best in an attempt to gain the recognition that so much wish

During this interview with Collider, co-stars Wiig and Ricky Martinwho plays Robert Diaz, a bartender at the club and the janitor who lives in Norma's pool house, talked about how inspiring it is to be around Burnett, to have to bite your tongue when you're in scenes with someone who makes you want to. crack, what are Maxine's true motivations, what was it like for Martin to share the scene Laura Dern and his father Bruce Dernwhether Wiig practiced her whale communication skills and how Season 2 could take things in either direction.

According to the cast of “Palm Royale,” Carol Burnett is one of those heroes you absolutely want to meet

Collider: I had a lot of fun with this. I can't imagine how much fun it must have been to play these characters. I don't think there has been such an excellent women's team since then The bridesmaids, and at the center is Carol Burnett, who is obviously a legend and an icon. Kristen, how glorious was it to have Carol Burnett say mean things to you?

KRISTEN WIIG: Amazing, also because it's the opposite of that in real life. You almost just want to laugh that he's playing this villain. It was a dream. I think I can speak for everyone in the cast and crew and just everyone who has ever met Carol, she was just a light every day and a huge inspiration to me with sketch comedy. She had her own show, which was the first of its kind, and she is a trailblazer. She is Carol Burnett.

Ricky, what was it like getting to form that special bond that your characters have in this and sharing those moments with Carol Burnett because it's a very unusual relationship that your characters have?

RICKY MARTIN: And I love how people's minds go in all directions at first with this. “Is this sexual? How intimate is it?” But you know what? You can fantasize all you want.

WIIG: We encourage it.

MARTIN: I felt very fortunate to be able to walk on set every day and to be able to play with Carol because of her energy. She is a super generous actress who just wants everyone around her to feel good. Between scenes, no matter how dramatic or sad they were, she would crack a joke. and another joke, and everything would become much lighter. It was wonderful. I loved it.

Have you ever had to find tricks to not ruin scenes, with her or anyone else? There are so many moments in this that are so ridiculous at times, so how do you get through it without breaking?

WIIG: We weren't very professional.

MARTIN: You'd bite your tongue.

WIIG: We'd just laugh and ruin the shot. With Carol, it would always be a surprise. It would just be a look or a wink or something you didn't expect.

Ricky, are you always actively looking for acting roles, or does it have to be something particularly special to catch your eye? What does it take to attract you and what attracted you to this project?

Martin: My God, where do I begin? Listen, the first time I was in front of a camera acting, I was 15 and I loved everything I heard. And then, I went to New York and auditioned for NYU. And then, I went to Mexico and did theatre, film and television. And then, the music hit and I had no choice but to really ride that wave. But the interpretation was always there. I am very lucky to work with an amazing group of people who are guiding me and giving me the right advice. to choose the right projects. I just want to dive in and try everything. But then again, how lucky I am that the productions I've been able to work on have surrounded me with incredible actors and great producers and directors. I am very lucky.

Kristen Wiig says her 'Palm Royale' character's motivations keep changing

Kristen, the audience will be wondering what your character's motivations really are all season long. There were times when I wondered if he only cared about personal gain, and there were times when I felt that he truly wanted what was best for everyone. Do you see her as someone who just wanted to belong and really wanted to be friends with these people, or is she also somewhat personally motivated?

WIIG: I think it's everything, and I think he's even surprised why he wants certain things. He could be trying to achieve one thing, but then he will completely turn around to make sure someone he loves is taken care of. That's why I loved playing her so much. Like all of us, she has many different things. He really wanted this thing, but he gets distracted, you wonder if he really wants it, and then he gives up something crazy to actually get it. She's all over the place, which was really fun to play. I think we've all had that experience where maybe we wanted something, and then we went another way, or changed our minds, or changed the reason we want it.

Ricky, what was it like sharing a scene with Laura Dern and Bruce Dern? It's not often that you work with more than one generation of an acting family at the same time.

MARTIN: And that was the first time they were in front of the cameras together. The time I spent with Bruce before the scenes and him sharing his stories felt like good preparation for walking on set and then hearing “Action!” It was wonderful to be able to put the script aside and let my guard down and let things happen. That was the magic of being in front of the cameras with him and Laura. Things were flowing, and yes, we had a message to leave before we heard the word “Talla!”, but it doesn't matter which direction we took. It was all so warm and uplifting, and I was just sitting there taking notes. I felt so lucky to be a part of that beautiful moment between them. What have I done, I must have done something good.

WIIG: Well, you're a very good human being. You deserve everything you get. You are so amazing in the show.

MARTIN: It was great. I felt amazing.

Kristen, how long did you practice your whale communication skills?

WIIG: I won't lie, I practiced because I wanted to do a good job with the whale calls. I listened to him and then I tried to do it and I was like, “Okay, whatever happens, happens.” It's not like Maxine has to be good, but I tried.

It's so brilliant because it continues.

WIIG: It goes on for a long time, and I think it was maybe four in the morning when we recorded it. I'm sure everyone loved him making whale calls when everyone just wanted to go home.

That 'Palm Royale' cliffhanger leaves open the possibilities for Season 2

The season ends in a very dramatic way. Ricky, do you know what your character's fate is? Kristen, do you have any idea what's coming next? Have you talked about a possible season 2?

WIIG: We're waiting.

MARTIN: Hopefully, Apple TV+ is listening. We hope so. The cliffhanger is amazing, isn't it?

WIIG: Not to give it away, but Ricky and I drove the same car fat, towards the sky, and we turn around and say hello to everyone. Spoiler!

What was the reaction to reading the final script and coming to an ending like that where you don't even know the status of your character?

MARTIN: And you don't mind because it's been an incredible experience.

WIIG: There's so much trust with the writers.

MARTIN: They were behind the cameras, all season long, working with us. They were changing and they were creative as we were creative. So it could go either way. It's going to be amazing, wherever we go.

Palm Royale is available to stream on Apple TV+. Watch the trailer:

Watch on Apple TV+