Josh Brolin: Tough rancher in ‘Outer Range,’ softie at home

Josh Brolin grew up on California’s central coast knowing men like Royal Abbott, the laconic and emotionally distant rancher he plays in “Outer Range.” The actor is glad he’s not one of them.

“They’re their own people. They’re very loyal and helpful neighbors, but really they like their own space,” he said. For Royal, the misguided belief that he’s protecting his family by “the very selfish act of not wanting to talk about things” is what threatens them.

Brolin, a husband and father of four, says he’s so open with his family that he’s “Jell-O.” But he was intrigued by Royal and and the series’ approach to a core element of modern Western mythology. “Outer Range” debuts Friday on Amazon’s Prime Video streaming service.

“I like behaviorally being able to delve into (the consequences of ) something that’s been so lauded for so long.... the Marlboro man, being the last great cowboy,” the actor said.

He was also taken by the Wyoming-set drama’s hybrid nature, combining a “supernatural, metaphysical aspect” and a classic trope, a family’s fight to keep its land. (The sweeping vistas are courtesy of New Mexico, where the show taped.)

Series creator and executive producer Brian Watkins says Brolin was the perfect fit for the role of a man who is keeping “an unfathomable secret.”

“In watching his performance you can always see that secret simmering deep within, tearing him apart inside, which speaks to Josh’s remarkable ability to craft such nuanced behavior in every moment, both underneath and beyond what’s on the page,” Watkins said in an email.

Further details would trigger spoileralert alarms for the eight-part series being released with two episodes weekly. Lili Taylor (”Perry Mason,” “American Crime”) plays Royal’s wife, with Imogen Poots (”Vivarium,” “28 Weeks Later”) portraying a visitor with a mission.

Brolin and Taylor play smartly off each other as a couple getting on with already complicated lives when outside forces intervene. He’s eager to praise her, as both a highly skilled actor and “just an incredible human being.”

The actor was good-natured and candid in a recent interview that came at the end of a day of promotion for “Outer Range.”