“ Palm Royaleit’s exactly that: a fun and profound series at the same time, which bears witness to an earthquake that occurs in the lives of each of the characters”, explains Leslie Bibb (The nights from Talladega. The Ballad of Ricky Bobby) about the production created by Abe Sylvia (The Incredible Story of Miss Tammy Faye) in which she plays one of the main roles. This catastrophe in question is Maxine Simmons, wonderfully played by Kristen Wiig (Bridesmaids), a newcomer who wants more than anything to make a place, and a name, in the not-so-golden high society of Palm Beach. If, a priori, Palm Royale gives viewers a story of “women pitting themselves against each other”, but ultimately it is nothing of the sort. “It’s more of a story that takes root in the community,” says the actress.
In fact, the real comedy of the series comes from the challenges it addresses, from the vulnerability and fear that govern the lives of these women of money and power, but, above all, of spirit.
“I immediately felt the personality of my character, Dinah Donahue, who is completely insane, very materialistic, who bites over nothing, and yet is no less funny and pleasant company,” says Leslie Bibb. Dinah Donahue is indeed a housewife full of resources and sensitivity. Her husband, recently appointed ambassador to Luxembourg, returns to Palm Beach from time to time, disrupting his wife’s affair with a professional tennis player also registered at the Palm Royale club. “We always told her that the only thing that mattered in life was finding the right husband, but we know that for men, it’s easy to get their hands on a replacement… She didn’t so nothing to hold her back,” she emphasizes. Then, the arrival of Maxine seriously shakes up and puts into perspective the life led by Dinah.
For her part, Allison Janney (I, Tonya) is the formidable Evelyn Rollins, the one that all the members of the Palm Royale fear – except, obviously, the newcomer. “I think her apparent nastiness comes from a real fragility, from the fear of losing everything she has, her place in society and that her darkest secrets will be revealed,” she says. Dinah, Evelyn and their Palm Royale sisters find themselves trapped in their own failings. “They live in their bubble, that of American high society, and their only concern is the place they occupy. They are only concerned about what they wear, by the image they project, by what the newspapers say about them,” noted the Oscar-winning actress in 2018.
Be careful, however, not to be fooled by their parades, their needs and even their despair, because the protagonists of Palm Royale reveal a complexity that is good to watch on the small screen. “In reality, what makes them tremble is a much bigger issue than the artifice,” says Allison Janney. For her part, Leslie Bibb warns against the “slippery slope” of clichés about rival women. “I try to tell myself that there is enough for everyone and that, as women, we are stronger together. But there are still people who want women to remain competitors, just to see what happens. » On the contrary, the series aims to be more emancipatory than what it lets on at first glance and finds its inspiration in the context in which it is set, that of a year 1969 filled with changes.
The good times
“Fasten your seat belts and hold on tight!” » laughs Leslie Bibb. The decor of Palm Royale is thus planted at a time when the Americans are going to the Moon, are waging war in Vietnam and women’s rights are in the process of changing. “There’s so much going on and Dinah and the others are afraid of change, they don’t want to change themselves. » But you can’t stop the world from turning… “Having the opportunity to be part of a series that brings together an incredible cast, which also includes Carol Burnett, Laura Dern and Ricky Martin, and which is set in an exciting time , is a great experience,” adds Allison Janney. Together, all these beautiful people navigate within a social hierarchy which does not want to welcome either this new world or Maxine, and which must nevertheless learn a new language and a way of understanding each other.
“Everything the Palm Royale regulars have, Maxine is about to take it away from them,” continues Leslie Bibb. “In particular, we observe in the series the cement of Palm Beach crumbling. It’s terrifying, but also electrifying for these women,” she notes. According to her, the series succeeds in showing both the progress of the late 1960s and the threat of regression. “The universe of Palm Royale seems very different from ours, but is it really? » raises the actress. The series is all the more interesting. “The people in the series, like our contemporaries, hold on to their lives fiercely, while the world continues to evolve, whether we like it or not,” she concludes. So Maxine hasn’t finished causing earthquakes.