James Brolin talks Cap’s surprising ending on ‘Ransom Canyon’

If it was up to James Brolin, he’d be getting back in the saddle.

The veteran actor stars as Cap, an aging ranch owner, on Netflix’s new series Ransom Canyon, his first on-screen appearance since before the pandemic (though he’s been doing plenty of voiceover work). But his time on the show will be sadly short-lived, as Cap suffered a heart attack in episode 9, dying before he has the chance to apologize to his newly discovered grandson, Yancy Grey (Jack Schumacher).

Brolin was aware of Cap’s potential fate from day one on the show, but he would’ve liked to stick around longer. “I did [know], but then they were vacillating on whether they were really going to do that,” he tells Entertainment Weekly. “Then, next thing I know I was involved and just enjoying it all. But if you asked me, I wish I was still there.”

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“I think I had a lot to do in the second year,” he adds. “Even if I had a grandson that was going to take over. I liked my relationship with Jack Schumacher, and I liked the girl that was almost like a surrogate daughter, Marianly Tejada. We worked so well together, and we like each other so much. So that I’ll miss.”

Though Brolin didn’t have tons of screen time, his Cap leaves a lasting impression. A gruff rancher, he doesn’t have much time for most of the folks in Ransom — except his new ranch hand, Yancy Grey, who turns out to be his grandson, and Ellie Catawnee (Tejada), the local girl who loves him like a father.

Alongside Staten Kirkland (Josh Duhamel), Cap is one of the last holdouts in Ransom over the installation of a proposed pipeline that would cut across his land. But as con men conspire to change his mind, and Yancy waffles on whether he wants revenge or the family he never had, Cap has to face regrets that have long haunted him. Brolin broke down some of those regrets and his thoughts on what more Cap had to give.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Do you think any part of Cap knows or suspects who Yancy really is from the moment he shows up? 

JAMES BROLIN: No, not at all. I don’t think anything in Cap’s reaction to him knew at all. To me, Cap is much busier than he actually was on screen. I would’ve made him more drunk. I would’ve made him more profane. I would’ve made him more ornery with this kid until he finds out. The world has really caved in on a guy that had a pretty good life, considering he was in Vietnam and saw the horrors of Vietnam. To have his son killed in Afghanistan and have his wife down the street in a home with dementia, it’s pretty horrifying for a guy that kind of had it all.

We get the big reveal where Yancy finally tells him the truth. Obviously, he is feeling betrayed in that moment, but why doesn’t he just welcome him? This is his second chance.

Because of the swindle. Because at this point he just hated anybody lying to him. Your son is dead and your wife is in a home somewhere, and now your grandson is trying to steal your place from you. I find that a little hard to forgive in his position. Not for me. For me, I’m a forgiving, optimistic person, but not Cap. 

When he takes that break and sits down against the tree, is any part of him cognizant that he’s going to die? 

They had a seed that they dropped where I see the wolf before that, and I say, “What do you want? Are you coming for me?” And he holds his chest before that. Now, they cut that out. Maybe because it didn’t work, because it’s obviously his own fantasy that he’s seeing some wolf. But for him to look so healthy when he rides across the river and gets off his horse. Then, he sits down next to the tree and sees that same wolf again, which you didn’t get to see. He says, “You’re coming for me,” and then, his head drops. I don’t know if I buy that myself as a writer-director. 

Cap was on the fence about selling to Austin Water & Power. He was pressured into making a choice he didn’t really want, but do you think he would be happy with Yancy’s intention to restore things? What do you think his actual wishes are for the property? 

I definitely don’t think the big city should get the water rights and have the wells run dry. Cap has loved the cattle business so much, and I assume that he’s got one of the largest — all three of those guys, have three of the largest cattle ranches in Texas, which are into many thousands of acres. So, it’s a matter of pride.

You said you wish you were still there. Is there any chance to see Cap in flashbacks or something if the show is renewed?

Maybe he’s not dead. Maybe he’s just taking a nap. Who knows? I have no idea. But if I was going to go back, I’d certainly want to be in a lot more of it than I was. I loved it, but I wanted to work every day.