“1923’s” first season just wrapped up on Paramount+, giving fans of the “Yellowstone” universe further insight into the Dutton family, but not without leaving a few cliffhangers to ensure audiences come back for more.
During the “1923” Variety Television Screening Series, cast members Brandon Sklenar, Julia Schlaepfer, Aminah Nieves and Michelle Randolph reflected on the biggest challenges they encountered while filming the show and working with creator Taylor Sheridan.
Sheridan, who aims for as much authenticity as possible, sent his cast to Cowboy Camp, a two-week program that taught them how to ride a horse and shoot a gun, before filming began. Nieves said, “We were battered and bruised on our butt cheeks. It was intense, but honestly, the wranglers and the entire team were a class act.” She continued, “They’re incredible teachers and just incredible people.”
The cast didn’t know much about their characters before shooting. Sklenar said of his character Spencer Dutton, “I knew he was a big-game hunter and that he was the son of Tim and Faith’s characters, but that’s as far as it got.” Schlaepfer, who plays Alexandra, was convinced she would have a short-lived stint on the show: “I thought I was going to be dead and gone early.”
Sklenar said the biggest challenge was filming the water scenes. “We needed to get ready to be underwater for a while and get comfortable being in the tight space,” he said. “It’s only a few minutes, but we were in there for five days.”
Randolph revealed that her hardest scene was running away in the buggy, which was originally conceived with a stunt double. “The person who was steering it was underneath the floorboards, and I was supposed to use my stunt double,” she said. “We were trying to get a shot and I thought that the horses were going to run away with me. That was my hardest scene, physically.”
Nieves, who portrays young Native American Teonna Rainwater, took a moment to discuss the importance of her character. “Getting to bring Teonna to life, not only for you guys but for all of our indigenous relatives, is extremely important.” she said. “There’s so much great native and indigenous television now, and it’s only going to continue to grow and, most importantly, tell this specific story. I hope that this story allows you to realize that you could never bury us. We are here, and here to stay.”
Watch the full video above.
