Josh Holloway: From Sawyer’s Island Swagger to 70s Mafia Wheelman in "Duster"
Josh Holloway, the actor renowned for his charismatic portrayal of Sawyer in the hit series Lost, almost missed out on his latest role in the upcoming Max series Duster due to his penchant for disconnecting from technology. A missed connection with Lost creator J.J. Abrams, who is also the driving force behind Duster, nearly derailed the project before it even began.
"J.J. was like, ‘Where have you been? You’re impossible to get a hold of,’" Holloway recounts. "And I am. I leave that at home mostly and don’t check it. My wife hates that."
Fortunately, Abrams eventually managed to reach Holloway and pitch him the concept for Duster, a 1970s-set action crime thriller. The premise immediately captivated Holloway. "J.J. was like, ‘You’re a Mafia wheelman in 1972,’" Holloway says. "He started to blow my mind. I fell immediately in love with this character in this era that’s so rich – the 70s. Everything J.J. said fueled this fire."
Duster, co-created by Abrams and LaToya Morgan, stars Rachel Hilson as Nina Hayes, the FBI’s first Black female agent. Hayes recruits Jim Ellis (Holloway), a skilled getaway driver with connections to the Mafia, to help her dismantle a powerful crime organization operating in Arizona.
Hayes faces challenges within the FBI, navigating the prejudice and sexism of her superior (played by Lost alum Greg Grunberg, sporting distinctive mutton chops). Meanwhile, Jim is entangled with his Mafia boss, Ezra Saxton (Keith David), adding layers of complexity to his mission.
The series title, Duster, hints at the importance of the vehicle Holloway’s character drives. The souped-up Plymouth muscle car from the 1970s becomes an integral part of the action, with Holloway, now 55, taking the driver’s seat.
Holloway’s experience dealing with unpredictable wind conditions on the Lost set in Hawaii, where helicopters often disrupted filming, proved surprisingly useful for Duster. "I learned how to work with the wind as Sawyer, just so you can get the damn take," he explains. "You have to do your dialogue into the wind to avoid your best takes being ruined because you’re chawing on a chomp of hair."
Abrams, having worked with Holloway on Lost, was also aware of the actor’s passion for driving. Stories circulated about Holloway’s love for speeding on the scenic roads of Oahu in his Mercedes SLK 350.
"That car was little, but way overpowered. And the Hawaiian drivers are so slow," Holloway recalls. "J.J. might have heard about that time when I slammed on the gas to pass nine cars in a row on a double yellow line. Either way, he knows I drive too fast."
Concerned about potential injuries, Abrams requested Holloway to give up dirt-biking, a hobby he enjoyed, during the production of Duster.
Holloway’s post-Lost roles have often been short-lived, with his characters meeting unfortunate ends. In Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011), he played IMF agent Trevor Hanaway, who was killed in the opening minutes of the film. In Yellowstone, he portrayed Roarke Morris, a rival of the Dutton family, for two seasons before being killed by Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) in a memorable scene involving a rattlesnake.
Despite giving up dirt-biking, Holloway dedicated himself to stunt training during the extended pre-production period of Duster, which was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic and Hollywood labor strikes. He enrolled in stuntman Rick Seaman’s driving school (now known as the Motion Picture Driving Clinic) and supplemented his training with private sessions.
"Jim’s comfort zone is when he’s driving super fast," Holloway says. "I wanted to get used to being in the car like that. At the stunt school, they’re like, ‘If you don’t bust a tire here, you’re not doing your job.’"
To achieve the authentic 1970s look for his hair in Duster, Holloway collaborated with Emmy-winning hair designer Michael Ward. Ward provided instructions via radio during the driving scenes, guiding Holloway on how to manage his hair in the wind. "The wind and hair are going everywhere," Holloway explains. "And Michael is like, ‘Shake it. The hair is across your eyes, so do the flick!’ That’s how they fix it."
Beyond the enhanced driving shots, Holloway also embraced more challenging stunts, including executing a full Duster skid-out turn close to a vintage police car.
Holloway proposed to his wife, Yessica Kumala, on the set of Lost, and they celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary in October. "That’s like a century of marriage in Hollywood," he jokes.
Their daughter, Java Kumala, recently started driving, while their son, Hunter Lee, shares his father’s enthusiasm for dirt bikes. Holloway currently drives a black Toyota Tundra.
"Just today, my 11-year-old told me, ‘Dad, you’re aggressive. You call your truck The Stallion and you whistle at it before you take off somewhere.’"
Holloway anticipates that his role in Duster will finally earn him some recognition from his children, who were born after Lost concluded in 2010. "Basically, I work for the Holloway family. I’m their Uber driver, dishwasher, and cook," Holloway says. "But now they are going to see that Dad does something else as well. I can’t wait."
Duster premieres May 15 on Max.
