Timeless: Mindy Cohn on 'Palm Royale,' Palm Beach, Ann Holiday and hitting her stride

In the world of "Palm Royale," there's one person who has access to every mansion, social club and secret in Palm Beach: Ann Holiday, the new society editor for Palm Beach Daily News.

Behind this character with cat's eye glasses, a camera at the ready and a commanding bob hairstyle is actor Mindy Cohn, a beloved comedy mainstay who rose to fame starting in 1979 as Natalie on "The Facts on Life."

Cohn was in Palm Beach recently, arriving April 23 to be the featured guest at a "Palm Royale"-themed cocktail party to benefit Habitat for Humanity of Greater Palm Beach County on April 24 at the Marion Sims Wyeth-designed Casa de Los Angeles, owned by Greg and Kim Dryer.

She sat down with the real Shiny Sheet to talk about "Palm Royale," Palm Beach, Ann Holiday and the joy of hitting her stride and supporting a cause she loves.

As a character, Cohn's portrayal of Ann is enterprising, diligent and a little mysterious. She knows a good news story when she hears it, and she isn't afraid to ask difficult questions.

It's Ann who finds the truth about the past of lead character Maxine Dellacorte (Kristen Wiig), whose desperate attempts to crack Palm Beach society drive the series' action.

In the sun-drenched, lies-filled Palm Beach of "Palm Royale," Ann comes across as a breath of fresh air with a tinge of humor and great haircut.

Cohn's input was central to key parts of Ann's character, from her wedding ring, to her glasses, to, yes, that haircut.

It's a haircut that Cohn didn't expect at first, as she has her own gray hair cropped at her chin. But when she first sat with the hair department for "Palm Royale" and found out she was getting a wig, she had a suggestion: "I said, Edith Head, and Edna from 'The Incredibles.'"

Edith Head was a famous costume designer with "a very thick fringe," Cohn said. And Edna Mode is the petite force behind the superheroes' costumes in "The Incredibles" films from Pixar.

As soon as she said it, the influence from both women is clear in the final product. Key to the wig are two bits of hair that jut out from the front of the bob.

"It was a very firm commitment of, this bob will go this way," Cohn said, moving her hands forward from each side of her face, pointing forward. "Not only was my suggestion taken, they were so open to that."

It was similar with Ann's costumes, which become increasingly more colorful throughout the season, perhaps as Ann settles into her role on the island.

Cohn's vision for Ann's costumes was built on her memories of her grandmother Rose, and her longtime mentor, actor Betty White.

"I wanted Ann to wear pants when she worked," Cohn said. "Which, it's not that pants were verboten, but most women did not wear pants."

All of the blouses Cohn wears throughout the series are newly made from vintage fabrics that were hand-selected by "Palm Royale" costume designer Alix Friedberg, Cohn said.

"There was this sense of color and pattern, and that Ann would not be afraid," Cohn said. While other women in the show are dressed mostly in solid colors, only a handful don patterns.

"She wanted Ann to literally be in print," Cohn said of Friedberg. "Which I thought was very cheeky. 'Cause Ann is in print. And that should carry to her clothing."

The boldness of the colors and patterns signal to viewers that Ann isn't afraid, she said.

"She's not skulking in the background. She's very much in front, in her mind," Cohn said.

The details of Ann's character extend to the car she drives: a classic Jaguar sports car.

"It's like, 'OK, who is this woman?'" Cohn said of Ann, whose past remains a bit of a mystery throughout "Palm Royale." "She has means. Even today, that kind of Jaguar is not something you just pull the trigger and make a decision to buy."

It's unclear if the car belongs to Ann, her husband or someone else, Cohn said. "For an actor to get that kind of juicy tidbit is fascinating," she noted. "And again, especially on an island where everything is very intentional."

Cohn modeled Ann after famed gossip and society columnist Hedda Hopper, whose column "Hedda Hopper's Hollywood" was a must-read in newspapers across the country for decades.

"She was covering at a time when celebrity was covered in a certain way, but society really wasn't," Cohn said. "This was the time in the '60s and '70s when society started to burgeon into an area where people's curiosities were peaked. They wanted the inside scoop."

Hedda Hopper was a gatekeeper of what got told: "People decided what relationships they would have with her, to either protect themselves or to make friends with her," Cohn said.

Ann Holiday's character is similar. As some characters pull the society editor toward them, into their inner circle and confidence, others keep her at arm's length.

"I knew there was a Shiny Sheet that was still up and running, which I love," Cohn said. "I think that one of the beautiful things about Palm Beach is that it has stayed timeless."

"Timeless" is a word Cohn returns to when talking about Palm Beach.

"There's this sense of tradition and small town-ness that other places just don't have," she said. "Palm Beach is very niche in that way. And I love the part of Palm Beach that really revels in their history of society. It is not dated. It is not some past thing that you reminisce about. It's very much still on the pages."

There is a timelessness to Cohn herself. Her pop culture staying power is a testament to her ability to capture audiences with her characters.

As Natalie on "The Facts of Life," Cohn became an icon and was seen as a positive role model and force for good for teen girls of that generation.

She also, coincidentally, once again portrayed a journalist, as Natalie wrote for the school newspaper and later, in the series' reunion in 2001, worked for CNN.

"Journalistic prowess seems to follow me wherever I go in my acting career," Cohn said, laughing.

Now, journalism has followed Cohn to Florida, which she visits with more frequency in recent years as some of her closest friends and family have moved to the Sunshine State, and to Palm Beach in particular.

She made her first visit to the island within the past year, she said. She hopes to return more, to spend time with her cousins, who live on the South End; and friends including designer and artist Jonathan Adler and his husband, author and fashion commentator Simon Doonan, who have a 1930s Maurice Fatio-designed home on the North End; and fashion designer Liz Lange, whose home is on the Lake Trail.

Visiting The Colony Hotel, she could see how it inspired "Palm Royale" production designer Jon Carlos, who also worked on "Westworld" and "Hacks."

Touring Palm Beach and getting a feel for its layout was fascinating, Cohn said, as she observed the transition between the massive homes and properties in the historic Estate Section to the south and the single-family, smaller homes to the north.

There's "this understated sense of place, physically here, that you don't find in any other city," she said.

As more of her friends take up part- and full-time residence in Palm Beach, Cohn said she found it funny that as Ann in "Palm Royale" seeks to cover society, Cohn herself has become friends with members of the real high society in town.

"It's a riot," she said, laughing with the realization. "Because, I mean, to know me is to know I am not of that, but I feel very comfortable in it. Always have."

When it comes to friendships, Cohn said the chemistry on the set of "Palm Royale" was incredible, with cast members and crew making connections as old friends and fostering new ones.

Because of the writers' and actors' strike in Hollywood last year, the show did not have its premiere until about a year after filming was finished.

"We just really like each other," Cohn said of her fellow cast members, who include Wiig, Ricky Martin, Allison Janney, Carol Burnett, Josh Lucas, Laura Dern, Leslie Bibb and Amber Chardae Robinson. "We had a ball. I think the caliber of acting and actor goes hand-in-hand. I think you just are better when you're with people like Carol Burnett and Kristen Wiig."

The cast was "an embarrassment of riches," she said.

Some of the people on the set were ones with whom Cohn had hoped to work with for years.

That includes Janney, who plays Evelyn Rollins, a queen bee of Palm Beach high society.

"She had been on my top five list of actors I've wanted to work with for the past 15 years," Cohn said. "She's incredible, to say the least."

As Wiig and Cohn walked together to set for Cohn's first scene with Janney, Cohn said she turned to Wiig and said, "I might start crying. It's Allison Janney."

Cohn said Wiig grabbed her and said, "I did that with Carol."

Their friendships have continued through press junkets, going to dinner together after daylong interviews. They rallied through long weeks of filming that were delayed because of COVID-19, and supported each other as they faced challenging scenes.

For one scene in the season finale, Cohn said cast members sat rapt as Wiig went through take after take of a physically and emotionally demanding moment.

Cohn said that as an actor, witnessing Wiig's performance was a masterclass.

"It makes me emotional thinking about it. We were all in tears," Cohn said. "She was breathtaking in take after take, nuance, changing it, laughing, crying, forgetting a line and improv-ing. And we sat, rapt, by this incredible woman."

A photo captured by Martin shows Cohn on her feet, applauding Wiig, as other cast members cheer.

It's a photo Cohn is eager to share, but can't until the finale premieres May 8.

Cohn's visit to Palm Beach for the Habitat fundraiser seemed to her to be a bit of a full circle moment, as philanthropic events play such a central role on "Palm Royale."

"I find it no accident and quite charming that of all the charities and philanthropic efforts, that there is a serious chapter here of Habitat for Humanity, based on what they do nationally and now internationally," she said.

The cause of Habitat for Humanity of Greater Palm Beach County is one that is dear to Cohn's heart. She first began supporting them — and participated in building a home with them — about three decades ago, after admiring founder and former President Jimmy Carter's efforts.

Many of those who attended the cocktail party have donated and volunteered for the organization for years, she said. "I do find that very redeemable," Cohn said. "Unlike the 'Palm Royale' ladies. I find the real-life philanthropy here much more impressive, obviously, than the fictionalized."

Habitat for Humanity is especially impressive, she said.

"Home is everything to me," Cohn said. Giving people a home base with safety, security and stability is life-changing, she said.

"The feeling that home evokes for people can't be talked about enough," she said.

As Cohn waits to hear if "Palm Royale" will return for a second season, she said she finds herself in the prime of her life.

She recalled advice given to her by her many incredible mentors over the years, including White, Geraldine Page, Elaine Stritch, Eileen Heckart, Cloris Leachman and Bea Arthur.

"They all, in various stages of my life, had told me, 'God, your 50s and 60s are gonna be the best times of your life,'" Cohn said. "And at 20, you don't really want to hear that, right?"

Now, as she approaches her 58th birthday on May 20, Cohn has found herself in the midst of a resurgence.

"While I've worked the last 45 years consistently, it's been nothing of this kind of note and magnitude with these kind of actors," she said. "For an actor, it's what you dream about."

Kristina Webb is a reporter for Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at kwebb@pbdailynews.com. Subscribe today to support our journalism.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: 'Timeless': Actor Mindy Cohn on 'Palm Royale' and Palm Beach