Vince Vaughn, 'Ted Lasso' co-creator Bill Lawrence bring good fun to Carl Hiaasen's 'Bad Monkey'

There's an old saying “don’t meet your heroes” but for TV creator, showrunner Bill Lawrence, it was a dream come true. Lawrence's new series “Bad Monkey” for Apple TV+, premiering Wednesday, is based on a novel by Carl Hiaasen, one of his favorite authors.

“I started reading Carl Hiaasen books when I was 15-years-old. There’s a direct line from Carl’s surreal satires and wildly insane character pieces to, like, ‘Scrubs,'" explained Lawrence, who also created that long-running Zach Braff sitcom. “The guy helped me to be a storyteller. He turned out to be as cool as I hoped and such a good dude."

“Bad Monkey” stars Vince Vaughn, whose observational humor and quick one-liners make him a good fit for the writing styles of both Hiaasen and Lawrence.

Vaughn plays Andrew Yancy, a former Miami police detective now living in the Florida Keys and working as a restaurant inspector. (A scene where we see Yancy on the job leads to a running joke about how he's lost his appetite for the foreseeable future and is Vaughn at his reactionary finest.)

A friend asks Yancy for a favor: deliver a human arm that washed up on the beach to a medical examiner (played by Natalie Martinez). When he later meets Eve (Meredith Hagner), the widow of the man whom the arm belonged to, Yancy finds himself unable to shake the case. The story unfolds, touching on themes of greed and power.

“He can’t let himself leave something where he knows there’s some wrongdoing there,” Vaughn said about Yancy, who he describes as “like the Energizer Bunny.” “He can’t help himself. And then no matter how many times he falls, gets hit in the face, or things don’t go his way, he’s going to just keep marching forward. That's just such an inspirational quality to have.”

Vaughn goes back more than 25 years with Lawrence — they played poker together. “He used to make me laugh. Just to watch his career do so well from afar, it was easy for me," Vaughn said about agreeing to the role.

For Lawrence, he said Vaughn's 1996 indie movie “Swingers" “helped shape a generation of writers. "When he burst onto the screen saying, ‘You’re so money you don’t even know it,’ everyone wanted to write that type of dialogue."

Michelle Monaghan plays Bonnie, Yancy's sort-of girlfriend who flits in and out of his life. She's a minor presence in the novel and Monaghan credits Lawrence for fleshing out her story.

“She's equal parts very delusional but also very naive,” said Monaghan, laughing. “When we first meet her she's very fun, playful and aloof but as the show goes on we see she's also quite predatory. ... Bill creates characters that do outrageous things.”

When it came time to try alternative takes and improvise, not everyone was as comfortable as Vaughn.

“Vince would encourage the other cast members like, ‘I’ll set you up if you say this. It will be funny,'” recalled Lawrence.

Ronald Peet, who plays a fisherman named Neville whose storyline runs concurrent to Vaughn's, said he had to grow accustomed to having freedom to deviate from the script.

“Every day I showed up to work, I was doing something that, you know, my mind was like, ‘I don’t know how I’m going to do this," said Peet. "That’s how you grow, and that’s how you expand, so I feel grateful.”

Episodes were filmed on location in South Florida so the cast experienced that kind of lazy humidity that slows down the pace of the everyday world.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me. When I’m in a comfortable soundstage, I don’t like it. When it’s hot, I’m not in my head in the same way. And I kind of love being like, ‘I’m not thinking.’ said Hagner.

“I think my hair had to be a little more hair-sprayed,” recalled Vaughn. “The Keys were spectacular. The nature, the ocean, the wildlife. I really enjoyed it."

Martinez is from Miami so the job gave her an opportunity to connect with family.

“I’ve been in Los Angeles for 20 years, but I was born and raised in Miami. My entire family is there, so it was nice to be able to have my goddaughter or my aunt come on set and kind of see what I do. I had a break ... and I was able to go to my grandmother’s house and have lunch with her."

Making “Bad Monkey” gave Lawrence a cherished opportunity to work with his daughter Charlotte, who has a recurring role as Eve's stepdaughter, Caitlin. This was the first acting role for Charlotte, who is a singer-songwriter.

Charlotte is well-aware of the nepo baby discourse and said she's grateful for the “massive chance” she was given.

“I was in musical theater and plays growing up, but I always just loved performing. I just never really connected the dots, you know, or actually envisioned myself being able to do this as a career," said Charlotte. "I think because my parents were so involved in it, I kind of wanted to rebel and do my own thing and not be connected to them. But, it couldn’t have been more fun.”

“If you can work with your kids, do it forever," said Lawrence. “That’s my advice to everybody. And who cares what other people say. It's awesome.”

Vince Vaughn, a cast member and executive producer of the Apple TV+ series "Bad Monkey," poses at the Four Seasons Hotel, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Vince Vaughn arrives at the premiere of "Bad Monkey" on Monday, Aug. 12, 2024, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

Meredith Hagner arrives at the premiere of "Bad Monkey" on Monday, Aug. 12, 2024, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

Actor Vince Vaughn, right, reacts as guest speaker Bill Lawrence, creator of the new Apple TV+ series "Bad Monkey," makes remarks during a ceremony to award Vaughn a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Monday, Aug. 12, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Meredith Hagner arrives at the premiere of "Bad Monkey" on Monday, Aug. 12, 2024, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

Zach Braff, left, and Charlotte Lawrence arrive at the premiere of "Bad Monkey" on Monday, Aug. 12, 2024, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

Natalie Martinez, from left, Vince Vaughn, standing background, Meredith Hagner, Charlotte Lawrence and Ronald Peet, cast members in the Apple TV+ series "Bad Monkey," pose together at the Four Seasons Hotel, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Bill Lawrence, creator and executive producer of the Apple TV+ series "Bad Monkey," poses for a portrait at the Four Seasons Hotel, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Vince Vaughn, a cast member and executive producer of the Apple TV+ series "Bad Monkey," poses for a portrait at the Four Seasons Hotel, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Charlotte Lawrence, a cast member in the Apple TV+ series "Bad Monkey," poses for a portrait at the Four Seasons Hotel, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Ronald Peet, a cast member in the Apple TV+ series "Bad Monkey," poses for a portrait at the Four Seasons Hotel, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Meredith Hagner, a cast member in the Apple TV+ series "Bad Monkey," poses for a portrait at the Four Seasons Hotel, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Natalie Martinez, a cast member in the Apple TV+ series "Bad Monkey," poses for a portrait at the Four Seasons Hotel, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Ronald Peet, a cast member in the Apple TV+ series "Bad Monkey," poses for a portrait at the Four Seasons Hotel, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Vince Vaughn, a cast member and executive producer of the Apple TV+ series "Bad Monkey," poses for a portrait at the Four Seasons Hotel, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Natalie Martinez, a cast member in the Apple TV+ series "Bad Monkey," poses for a portrait at the Four Seasons Hotel, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Meredith Hagner, a cast member in the Apple TV+ series "Bad Monkey," poses for a portrait at the Four Seasons Hotel, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Actor-executive producer Vince Vaughn, left, and creator-executive producer Bill Lawrence, of the Apple TV+ series "Bad Monkey," pose for a portrait at the Four Seasons Hotel, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanese health authorities reported that at least three people were killed and more than a dozen others wounded in an Israeli strike on Beirut on Friday, the first such Israeli attack on the Lebanese capital in months.

The Israeli strike came after Hezbollah pounded northern Israel with rockets and the region awaited the revenge promised by the militant group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah for this week’s mass bombing attack on pagers and walkie-talkies belonging to Hezbollah members.

The target of Israel’s airstrike in Beirut’s crowded southern suburbs during rush hour, as people were leaving their work and students heading home from school, wasn't immediately clear. Lebanon's Health Ministry didn't elaborate on the identities of the victims.

Lebanese news stations broadcast footage of wounded people being pulled from the ruins of a flattened building as ambulances rushed to the scene of the strike.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

BEIRUT (AP) — Israel hit a Beirut suburb with an airstrike Friday, not long after Hezbollah pounded northern Israel with 140 rockets following a vow by the militant group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah to retaliate against Israel for a mass bombing attack, the Israeli military and the militant group said.

The Israeli military said it had carried out a “targeted strike” in Beirut. It offered no further immediate details, but explosions could be heard coming from the city’s southern suburbs.

Beirut-based Al-Mayadeen TV reported that a drone fired several missiles on the heavily-populated area known as Dahiyeh.

A Hezbollah official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak to the media, confirmed to The Associated Press that an airstrike struck the area, without giving further details.

The strike came after Hezbollah pounded Israel with 140 rockets, which the Israeli military said came in three waves targeting sites along the ravaged border with Lebanon.

Following the attacks, the Israeli military said that it had struck areas across southern Lebanon targeting Hezbollah infrastructure, but didn’t provide details of damage.

Hezbollah said that its attacks had targeted several sites along the border with Katyusha rockets, including multiple air defense bases as well as the headquarters of an Israeli armored brigade they said they’d struck for the first time.

The Israeli military said that 120 missiles were launched at areas of the Golan Heights, Safed and the Upper Galilee, some of which were intercepted. Fire crews were working to extinguish blazes caused by pieces of debris that fell to the ground in several areas, the military said.

The military didn’t say whether any missiles had hit targets or caused any casualties.

Another 20 missiles were shot at the areas of Meron and Netua, and most fell in open areas, the military said, adding that no injuries were reported.

Hezbollah said that the rockets were in retaliation for Israeli strikes on villages and homes in southern Lebanon, not two days of attacks widely blamed on Israel that set off explosives in thousands of Hezbollah pagers and walkie-talkies.

On Thursday, Israel said its military had struck “hundreds of rocket launcher barrels” in southern Lebanon, saying that they “were ready to be used in the immediate future to fire toward Israeli territory”

The army also ordered residents in parts of the Golan Heights and northern Israel to avoid public gatherings, minimize movements and stay close to shelters in anticipation of the rocket fire that eventually came Friday.

Hezbollah and Israel have exchanged near-daily fire since Oct. 8, a day after the Israel-Hamas war’s opening salvo, but Friday’s rocket barrages were heavier than normal.

Nasrallah on Thursday vowed to keep up daily strikes on Israel despite this week’s deadly sabotage of its members’ communication devices, which he described as a “severe blow.”

At least 20 were killed in the attacks and thousands were wounded when pagers, walkie-talkies and other devices exploded in Lebanon on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The sophisticated attacks have heightened fears that the cross-border exchanges of fire will escalate into all-out war. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied involvement in the attacks.

In recent days, Israel has moved a powerful fighting force up to the northern border, officials have escalated their rhetoric, and the country’s security Cabinet has designated the return of tens of thousands of displaced residents to their homes in northern Israel an official war goal.

Fighting in Gaza has slowed, but casualties continue to rise.

Overnight, Palestinian authorities said that 15 people were killed in multiple Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip.

Those included six people, including an unknown number of children, in an airstrike early Friday morning in Gaza City that hit a family home, Gaza’s Civil Defense said. Another person was killed in Gaza City when a strike hit a group of people on a street.

Israel maintains that it only targets militants, and accuses Hamas and other armed groups of endangering civilians by operating in residential areas. The military, which rarely comments on individual strikes, had no immediate comment.

Gaza’s Health Ministry says that more than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in the territory since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. The ministry doesn’t differentiate between fighters and civilians in its count, but says a little over half of those killed were women and children.

Israel says it has killed more than 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.

More than 95,000 people have also been wounded in Gaza since Oct. 7, the Health Ministry said.

The war has caused vast destruction and displaced about 90% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million.

Ambulances arrive at the scene of an Israeli missile strike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

People stand on top of a damaged car at the scene of a missile strike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

People and rescuers gather at the scene of an Israeli missile strike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

People gather near a damaged building at the scene of an Israeli missile strike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

People gather at the scene of an Israeli missile strike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

People gather at the scene of an Israeli missile strike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

Israeli Iron Dome air defense system fires to intercept a rocket fired from Lebanon, in northern Israel, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)