Josh Duhamel leans into Western cowboy role after decades of heartthrob roles

Josh Duhamel is leaning into the Western cowboy role to revive his decades-long career in Hollywood.

In March, Duhamel was slated as a character in the upcoming show, "The Rescue." According to Deadline, the Paramount project is "a modern day Western, in which a rodeo cowboy’s skills are put to the test outside the arena."

"The Rescue" is the next step in Duhamel's journey to leave his Hollywood heartthrob legacy behind and step into the boots of a cowboy. He previously starred in Netflix's "Ransom Canyon" as a rancher in Texas, fighting to keep his land a legacy.

Duhamel started off with a career in modeling and first gained TV recognition in the late 1990s and early 2000s on the soap opera "All My Children," where his role as Leo du Pres earned him a Daytime Emmy Award. 

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That early success helped launch him into primetime television, most notably as Danny McCoy, the head of security on NBC’s "Las Vegas."

Duhamel transitioned into movies in the mid-2000s, often cast as the charming, all-American lead. He became widely known for his role as Captain William Lennox in Michael Bay’s "Transformers" franchise, appearing in multiple installments and gaining global exposure.

Around the same time, he leaned into romantic comedies and dramas, starring in films like "When in Rome," "Life as We Know It," "New Year’s Eve," and "Safe Haven," building a reputation as a dependable romantic lead.

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Now as Duhamel takes on his 50s and spends most of his time at his "doomsday cabin" in Montana, leaning into Western roles wasn't too hard for him.

"I relate to the guy a lot," he told Parade of his character in "Ransom Canyon."

"It’s about keeping this land that they’ve been nurturing for years in the family and not selling it off to whoever for whatever’s [buried] underneath it," Duhamel continued.

In April 2025, Duhamel revealed that he ditched Los Angeles for his off-grid home in Montana that took 15 years to build.

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The actor and his wife Audra Mari are parents to their son Shepherd and daughter Rocca. Duhamel and Mari announced the birth of their second child together in an Instagram post on May 16; they welcomed a daughter they named Rocca de Leon Duhamel.

The actor also has a 12-year-old son named Axl with ex-wife Fergie.

Duhamel opened up about his disinterest in Hollywood in a 2023 interview with "In Depth with Graham Bensinger."

"I don't think I ever really got comfortable with all of it. It was just a lot. I missed the simplicity of who I really am," he said at the time. 

"I'm just not a guy who is comfortable doing red carpets, doing all the Hollywood stuff. I don't hate it, I'm better at it now than I was, but it just took me a long time to really feel like I belong, like I fit in."

"You know Hollywood and L.A., that whole lifestyle can suck the soul out of you if you're not careful."