Josh Holloway, one of the breakout stars of “Lost,” nearly gave up acting before landing his career-defining role as con man Sawyer. Since the show wrapped up in 2010, he has headlined other series and guest-starred on “Yellowstone,” but the actor told TheWrap he had nearly given up hope of finding a role as meaty as Sawyer … until “Lost” executive producer J.J. Abrams called him and pitched him “Duster,” the new Max series in which he plays a getaway driver in 1970s Phoenix.
The actor talked to TheWrap about how the new series fits him “like an old pair of jeans,” how he’s changed his approach to acting over the years and that time “The Rockford Files” star James Garner told him, “I think you got a shot in this business, kid.”
TheWrap: When we talked to LaToya Morgan, J.J. Abrams said he had this vision where a guy gets out of a muscle car in the middle of a desert to answer the phone at a phone booth. And he pictured you being the guy.
Josh Holloway: Yes, thank God he pictured me. Like, out of nowhere, he called me and proceeded to pitch me this thing. And I was blown away. I was like, “Oh, my God, I’ve always wanted to do a period.” And this era, the early ’70s, was so rich with explosion and culture, the fashion, the music was crazy, insane. It’s such a rich era to delve into it. The clothes, the attitude, and people had, like, a groove about them. I love that.
After “Lost,” you starred on other shows including “Intelligence” and “Colony,” but did you feel like you were being typecast, or that people just saw you as Sawyer?
No, I was not being cast at all. I was like, “Let’s go people, I want to work.” I have a lot of range that I don’t get to explore as an actor. I wanted to work more, but I was offered a lot of very cliché network things. I passed on a lot of network pilots that were that “NCIS”- type role, which is great. I love to work, but I was not ready to do that yet. I still had dreams of doing the stuff I love, artistic things. I was giving up. I was like, “I’m gonna take whatever job comes through,” and finally, this came through, so I was able to do art again.
Jim Ellis does have a lot in common with Sawyer, both are very charming criminals.
On “Duster,” though I look similar, he’s a different person. Jim is much more cool and breezy, where Sawyer was angry a lot, and flippant a lot. He has heart. I mean, Sawyer had heart, but it’s a completely different vibe playing Jim. I like it more because I have also grown as an actor. I used to use a lot of negativity for Sawyer, so it was harder to play. Now I just play. [Laughs] Jim is fun. I like him.
What does this show feel like at this point in your career?
This show feels like an old pair of jeans. It’s me. It fits everything for where I am in my life right now. It’s a lot of fun. And I’m a father, so I have a daughter in the show. I have a lot of life experience now that is different, and I’m a different actor. This is a time for this show that feels right, and it’s gonna be a good time. I moved it forward.
Before you landed “Lost,” you were thinking of giving up acting and maybe being a park ranger or a real estate agent.
Yes, both. I had that conversation with my girlfriend, who’s now my wife. We’ve been together 25 years, but I was like, “Okay, baby, I’m quitting this rat race, so I’m gonna be a forest ranger and do real estate, are you in?” She’s like, “I’m in, let’s do it.” I proceeded to get my real estate license, and it arrived three days in the mail, three days after I booked “Lost.” I was like, file that sucker. I would have been the worst real estate agent on the planet. [Laughs] I don’t send emails. I don’t text. I mean, all my friends know it takes me 48 hours to reply to a text.
What does it mean to you that J.J. Abrams pictured you in this and that he said you belong in the ’70s?
I’m honored. It’s hilarious, because my wife’s like, “Yeah, you look like a ’70s porn star.” [Laughs] I’m like, “What do you know about ’70s porn stars?” I definitely can slip into that era pretty easily, and I’m a little slower than most people in my pace of things. The ’70s suits me.
And you grew up in the ’70s.
I had three brothers, and we grew up in rural Georgia, on a dirt road. We were driving a truck around 9 or 10 years old. There was no helicopter parenting back then. It was just like, be home before dinner. That was a great era to grow up in.
I was pleasantly surprised that they’re allowing me to do stunts [on “Duster”]. The stunt coordinator, Troy Brown, has all the confidence in the world and allows me to do it, but I’m not allowed to jump cars or hit other cars. I don’t want to jump a car, actually. Or roll it over. I did that at 17. I went end over end. Don’t want to do that.
Were you badly injured?
No, nothing. I had no seat belt on. The window was down, and I went in, over in, and my entire car was a box of metal. Just the driver’s side was okay. I went to the doctor. I had a little scratch on the back of my neck from hitting the roof.
That’s pretty damn amazing.
Amazing. Because end over end is end over end. All four tires were burst. The roof was flat against the back seat, no glass in the vehicle. It was just, how did I walk out of that? I don’t know.
In the ’70s, we’d ride all on the tailgates of the truck. It was crazy what we would do, hanging out of T-tops at 120 miles an hour. We were wild back then.
Let’s talk about the car, the Duster. Do you have a bunch of them on the show?
Yes, we have four Dusters, two heroes and two stunts. I love the choice of the Duster because it’s that obscure muscle car. I always wanted the GTO or the Charger, but the Duster always got overlooked and that’s what J.J. loves. He loves cool, obscure things. The car has the Tasmanian Devil as the emblem. There’s four of them, and they’re all quirky.
Every car I’ve ever been in when I was young had some quirk you had to figure out. With the Dusters, one has spongy brakes. One will go in first, but not third, you got to know your kitchen. Each one, I know what it will do and what it won’t do.
This show reminds me so much of “The Rockford Files,” the cool car, the smart guy…
I have not heard that one brought up, and I grew up watching “Rockford.” I love that. Mmm.
He did a lot of his own stunts, too.
He did, him and Steve McQueen. They did the Baja 1000. They were real drivers. I met him at the first upfront I’d ever gone to on “Lost,” and he was there in New York, and we shared a moment out on the balcony or something. I remember him saying, “I think you got a shot in this business, kid.” I was like, “Thank you. You don’t understand what that means to me.” He was just so cool.
Does this feel like a dream come true, like could your 17-year-old self believe that you’re here in this show, driving?
It’s my comfort zone, and it’s my happy place. When I do road trips, I like the windows down [and the radio off]. I grew up poor, so every car we had didn’t have AC. And I grew up driving stick shifts and old cars, so I know quirky cars, and I feel very comfortable when I get into a car and it has that vintage smell, I know I can drive the hell out of it. It just suits me being in there, window down, and I even remember first my first eight track was Ted Nugent. [Laughs]
“Duster” premieres on Max on Thursday, May 15 at 6 p.m. “Lost” streams on Hulu and Netflix.
