A day into its launch, Netflix‘s new drama sequence Ransom Canyon has shot to No. 1 on the streamer’s Each day High 10 scores within the U.S. The modern Western romance, billed as Virgin River meets Yellowstone, stars Josh Duhamel and Minka Kelly as childhood friends-turned-star-crossed lovers.
First revealed by Deadline in 2022 as being in fast-track growth at Netflix, the difference of Jodi Thomas’ books was formally greenlighted in December 2023 after locking in each Duhamel and Kelly because the success of sequence within the style depends closely on the casting of the lead couple.
Each Duhamel and Kelly have been prime selections. Netflix went after Transformers star Duhamel and, after prolonged negotiations, he was forged first.
Friday Night time Lights alumna Kelly was the one actress invited to a chemistry learn with Duhamel and was provided the feminine lead, I hear. I bear in mind the expertise neighborhood buzzing on the time about Kelly reportedly asking for pay parity along with her male co-star, thought-about a daring transfer since well-paying lead sequence jobs have been sparse in the course of the post-pandemic, post-peak TV business contraction.
I hear that parity was in the end not achieved however Netflix stepped up in a serious means, elevating Kelly’s provide means above her earlier earnings historical past that minimized the pay hole between the leads.
Whereas a 2018 California regulation eradicated actors “quotes” because it prohibits employers from asking potential hires about earlier salaries, casting affords are nonetheless based mostly totally on actors’ current work. Duhamel has accomplished a string of main roles in movie and TV over the previous decade; Kelly had a memorable arc on hit HBO drama Euphoria.
Minka Kelly as Quinn in Episode #103 of ‘Ransom Canyon’
Anna Kooris/Netflix
Requested by Deadline throughout an interview tied to Ransom Canyon‘s launch about taking a stand for equal pay in the course of the casting of the present, Kelly gave props to Netflix.
“I believe that’s most likely among the finest issues about working with Netflix, is that they’re very professional that. So I didn’t need to struggle very arduous. They type of made that straightforward,” she mentioned. “I really feel actually fortunate to get to work with the corporate that does care about that.”
Kelly has spoken out concerning the topic. In 2017, she marked Equal Pay Day with an Instagram publish in assist of FashionAble, which employs girls in Ethiopia, Mexico, Peru and the U.S. “On the core of our mission, we struggle for equal alternative for girls, each in job prospects and revenue,” she wrote.
If Ransom Canyon is ready to maintain its early scores momentum and turns into a success, it’s fairly potential Duhamel and Kelly attain pay parity in subsequent seasons. They’re handled as equal in many of the sequence’ promotional supplies, together with the important thing artwork on the prime of the story.
For a deep dive into Season 1 of Ransom Canyon, learn Deadline’s interview with sequence showrunner April Blair.
