In 'Dutton Ranch,' Jai Courtney's Rob-Will Is the Best Kind of Bad Cowboy: "I Love Getting Filthy " (Exclusive)
Every great Western needs its bad cowboy. And in Dutton Ranch, the Jackson clan has supplied one truly dastardly dude: Rob-Will Jackson. But, Rob-Will is played by one of the most likable guys in the game, the multi-talented Jai Courtney, who you probably remember from A Good Day to Die Hard, Terminator: Genisys, both versions of The Suicide Squad, and most recently, alongside Alan Ritchson in War Machine.
As Rob-Will returns to wreak havoc in Dutton Ranch—specifically in Episode 6 and beyond—Men's Journal caught up with Courtney to talk about playing this wicked cowboy, his attitude toward acting in general, working with Ritchson, and why the "skinny" version of himself is never coming back.
You've been a part of some huge franchises. Are there any you'd want to return to?
Well, in some of those, I'm technically deceased. Even then, I mean, back when [James] Gunn had his take on the other Suicide Squad, I remember being like, "Come on, man, now I can't do anything with this role anymore." And he was like, "That's not true. There's potential for anything." The rule book gets broken all the time; things aren't linear. Boomerang [in The Suicide Squad] was one of the most fun roles I've had playing my entire career. So, if there's ever a way to see more of him, I'm jumping at that opportunity.
You were in War Machine, playing the brother of Alan Ritchson's character. What was that like?
Speaking of jacked men, Alan's a great dude. He's really intelligent, a hard worker, and an old-school kind of action star energy. Obviously, spoiler alert, I exit that picture pretty early on, but my character is there as a kind of continual thread and presence of that role. It was great. There are no small roles, only small actors, mate.
When Rob-Will makes his big return, it's such a great moment. He's horrible, but the audience is thrilled to see him. Why is that?
That's just the key to playing roles that serve to antagonize. You can be unlikable fundamentally, I think, as a character, but if you're not having fun when that character's on screen, it's easy for the audience to check out. I've played these kinds of morally ambiguous dudes a bunch of times. I've been punched in the head by the hero a million times. And I don't have a rule book around it, but I'll only play those parts if there's something that I can connect to and lets me have fun while I'm doing it.
If you're enjoying seeing him on screen, then I'm doing my job. I want people to have fun with a character like Rob-Will. You may be challenged by his morals, and maybe you're not ultimately rooting for him, but I sure as hell want you to look forward to him being back on the screen.
You look extra jacked as Rob-Will in Dutton Ranch. Did you do some extra training for the show?
I think I just trimmed out, to be honest. I did a film called Dangerous Animals, and I was playing a serial killer, and I put on a bunch of weight because I didn't want him to feel too athletic. I was eating a ton and drinking beer. And then after that happens, you've got to get your life together. But I didn't try to charge up Rob-Will too much, but I definitely got back in shape. I'm 40 now, and you just thicken up. Ain't no skinny Jai Courtney coming back anytime soon!
Did you have a hard time with the heat in Texas?
I'm from Australia! I love it! I love getting filthy. I just came back from bloody Utah, shooting a period Western. I've never had a problem embracing that. It's only annoying if you're changing your costume in between takes because you're leaking sweat through your bloody gray tank top and it's like 110 degrees. But I think what we do for a living is it has its challenges, but I wouldn't list dealing with the elements as one of the hardest parts about it.
How far do you want to go with Rob-Will on Dutton Ranch?
I'm down for all of it. The writing is so much fun in this world, and I think there's huge potential for Rob-Will. We'll see where the creative side wants to take this. He's obviously here to cause some problems for some of our protagonists. I'm down for all of it. It's a fun character, and I stay inspired by that.
Dutton Ranch streams on Paramount+
source https://www.mensjournal.com/entertainment/jai-courtneys-rob-will-interview
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