‘Dutton Ranch’ star Juan Pablo Raba on what’s next for Joaquin after shocking twist
Juan Pablo Raba is heartbroken over the latest episode of “Dutton Ranch.”
The Columbian actor plays Joaquin Jackson on the Paramount+ series that follows Beth Dutton and Rip Wheeler after the events of “Yellowstone.” Joaquin is the right-hand man to his surrogate mother Beulah Jackson, played by Annette Bening, who runs the 10-Petal Ranch.
After surviving a gunshot wound to the hand in last week’s episode, “A Cowboy Saint,” Joaquin’s world is further flipped upside down in this week’s episode, “Den of Sin,” out Friday, June 19.
Ahead of the episode, Raba spoke to the Star-Telegram about his journey playing this character and what’s next for Joaquin after the shocking reveal.
There’s also some chatter about Raba’s fondness for Central Market, a place he and his family visited many a times while in Fort Worth making “Dutton Ranch.”
This interview has been edited for clarity and length. Spoilers for “Dutton Ranch” episodes 1-7 below.
Star-Telegram: Juan Pablo, I think Joaquin is a fascinating addition to this mix of characters. He has this deep love for Beulah and the 10-Petal Ranch, but he’s always on the outside of things because he’s not a blood relative to the Jackson’s. What’s it like playing a character like this that has something he can never quite grasp?
Juan Pablo Raba: That’s a great question. Because in this historical moment, where ideas and feelings about immigration are so polarized, right? Having spent my life being an immigrant, practically, because I was born in Colombia [to an] Argentinian father, but lived in Spain, Venezuela, the US, Canada. I feel that Joaquin embodies what most immigrants feel. It’s, “I am here, I’m doing everything the right way. I want to be a legal citizen of whatever it is. I want to pay my taxes, I want to do things right. I’m going to go to college, I’m going to get my degree, I’m going to do everything right. I’m not going to get into trouble. I don’t do drugs, I don’t do booze, I don’t get in trouble with women. Like I do everything right. Why won’t you accept me?”
I just think that feeling can translate to millions of people around the world of, “I want to be here, but I want to do you right. I want to belong. Why won’t you love me? Why won’t you accept me?” That feeling of constantly being reminded that you’re not a Jackson, you’re not blood. This is why I’m not going to give you the throne, although you deserve it, you’re not going to get it. I just think it’s very heartbreaking. That’s how I feel. I feel Joaquin has given everything to that ranch. Joaquin has given everything to be loved by that woman, and he still doesn’t get that. I just feel that he is feeling very lonely and very heartbroken.
S-T: There’s a nice moment in episode 6, where Joaquin goes and buys a cowboy hat. You see him trying on the hat in the mirror, and he’s visualizing himself as the head of the 10-Petal. I was wondering if you could talk about that scene, now knowing that Joaquin will not lead the ranch.
JPR: I love that you paid so much attention to that scene, because actually I also believe it to be a very important scene. It’s not just a guy who goes and buys a hat, I think he’s a prince buying a crown. You have that moment right where he’s just trying on that crown, and he’s saying, “This is my moment, I’m going to be king.” With the director, she did such a fantastic job, because she really understood how important that scene was. It was a big scene, and it took a long time to shoot it, actually, because we really wanted to get it right. Jessica Lowrey directed that, and we talked a lot about that. We just said this scene reads simple, but it’s very complex, because it has a lot of subtext.
I love that we had the opportunity to do it, because that’s exactly what it is. It’s a prince shopping for his crown, and when he looks in that mirror, he’s like, “This is the moment.” It’s very interesting, because as you can see in this universe, every man has a hat. He didn’t have a hat till that moment. It’s like, “Okay, now I’m ready. Here we go.”
S-T: Of course he buys the hat for the big party in episode 7, where his brother Rob-Will (Jai Courtney) pressures Beulah into forking over the ranch to him and not Joaquin. What were your thoughts when you read that moment in the script?
JPR: I remember reading that Brayden and just crying out of heartbreak. He’s not even angry at it anymore, he’s just devastated because he has worked so hard towards that. He knows he deserves it, like why are they taking that away from him. Yet again not being accepted, and I just felt so heartbroken. I remember writing to the writer and telling him, like, “Man, this was hard to read.” Just thinking of how I was going to play, and how can I show the audience how broken this guy is right now by this. Hopefully I did it. But that was my whole idea, like this is one of his worst moments.
S-T: I think it especially hurts in this episode since we see the bond that young Beulah and Joaquin’s father had back in the day. His father calls her “B” and later in the present Beulah tells Carter (Finn Little) to call her “Mama B,” showing that she’s kept that nickname. Just interesting storytelling to have those past and present moments together in the same episode where Joaquin gets the rug pulled out from under him.
JPR: Yeah, I think it was great, Brayden. Because actually that installed in my mind and in my soul so many questions, right? That I really hadn’t kind of thought about it that much until I read that material, where I’m like, “Oh my god, imagine being a little kid and suddenly all your world is turned upside down in just one day.” Your dad tells you like, “Hey buddy, we’re gonna go and you’re gonna stay with this beautiful lady who promises to take good care of you.” How does that feel growing up in a place that’s not your own, in a family that’s not your own, and really not being loved? Yes, cared about, tended to, but not really loved. Then it gives you a lot of questions, like who is Joaquin? Who is he really? At his core, when he’s alone with his thoughts, what does that create in a human being?
S-T: Episode 7 ends with Joaquin driving off into the night. What can you tease about the last two episodes of the season?
JPR: I think it’s brutal. I think that every character comes to a point where it’s a decision that will create a point of no return. For Joaquin, it’s a huge one, because once he makes that phone call, there’s no turning back. He knows that because he’s not dumb, he’s smart. He has had the possibility of making that phone call for years, and he hadn’t done it because he wanted to do things right. He knows that this is his last resource, but it’s like pressing a nuke. A lot of people are going to be destroyed by that, and you’re going to be destroyed, but they left you no other choice, or you didn’t find any other choice. It’s definitely going to change everybody’s life, like one phone call is going to change everybody’s life.
S-T: I’ve got time for one more question. I wanted to follow up with you from our conversation at the “Dutton Ranch” press day last month, where you mentioned how much you loved visiting Central Market while in Fort Worth. I’m curious about why that place was highlight for you.
JPR: My God, I miss it so much. That was like the first grocery store that I entered [in Texas], and it was like the best one I’ve ever been to. Something about the Central Market that’s just so fresh, and it’s also so abundant, you know? When people talk about Texas, and how everything is bigger in Texas like, “Oh, and this is a grocery store in Texas, right?” It was not only me, when my family visited me, Central Market became like their favorite place, because it’s like a little Disneyland, right? It’s like the possibilities. As I said, the freshness. You like mushrooms? We got 30 types of mushrooms. You like tomatoes? We got 40 types of tomatoes. You want apples, we got 50 types of apples. You’re like, “How is this even possible?”
But also, they got a little band, and they got a children’s [area], it just feels like such an inclusive place. Like some, I’m not going to name names, but some grocery stores, especially in some Californian cities, they feel so out of reach in so many ways. It’s not only the price range, but it also feels like they’re doing you a favor. The moment you enter Central Market, and like most places in Texas, you feel Southern hospitality. I’m telling you, and I’m telling everybody, Southern hospitality is a thing, and I am very grateful I got to experience it.
“Dutton Ranch” airs Fridays on Paramount+ and the Paramount Network.
