If you’re a fan of the Yellowstone universe in its entirety, you know a couple of important things about Taylor Sheridan and his bringing the Dutton family to life. Perhaps most important, he leads into each story and character with the most necessary piece of the puzzle: authenticity.
Be it in Yellowstone, 1883, or 1923; when you sit down to watch a Sheridan series in the Yellowverse, you are getting an authentic look at the stories being told, a true glimpse into what the world looks like through the eyes of characters who are as multifaceted as they are beautiful, troubled, and full of hope. One way Sheridan ensures that the series is authentic is by the various storytelling avenues he uses: only giving away information when it’s necessary, speaking to leaders of important cultural and personal customs and ceremonies, and by one hell of an adventure: cowboy camp.
During a chat with Variety, Julia Schlaepfer, Brandon Sklenar, Aminah Nieves, and Michelle Randolph all opened up about everything from their cowboy camp experience to what — if any knowledge they had about their characters prior to really getting into filming the latest Yellowstone prequel.
Schlaepfer, who brings Alex to life, said they were lucky because they got extra time at cowboy camp, which was difficult but beautiful.
“It was the greatest time of our lives. It was originally two weeks scheduled for us to train and learn how to ride horses with the best wranglers in the world, and we got lucky; we got like an extra month of cowboy camp because they were filming in Montana, and we were waiting to go to Africa. We were trapped…but yeah, we were riding every day and we would get up early every day…and yeah.”
Nieves, who plays Teonna Rainwater, spoke about the battered bodies they left cowboy camp with; however, what stands out as the most important is the bonding and how much the team surrounding them taught them in terms of cowboying and being part of this larger Yellowverse.
“It was boot camp, cowboy boot camp — emphasis on that. We were beat, we would take ice baths together…I mean, we were battered and bruised on had scales on our butt cheeks. It was intense, but honestly, the wranglers and the entire team were a class act. They’re incredible teachers and just incredible people. Honestly, it was one of the best times of my life…”
Nieves also spoke about the heartwrenching stories her character helped bring to life and why they were so important for fans to see. It’s not easy watching what happens to the Indigenous Peoples at the “boarding school” where they are attempting to be “freed” from the “Indian” within them. It’s impossibly difficult to fathom that the punishments they endured really happened, but it’s a story worth telling because their history is everyone’s history.
For Nieves, it was essential to bring these stories to life because of the growth potential it helps cement in the entertainment world.
“Getting to bring Teonna to life, not only for you guys but for all of our indigenous relatives, is extremely important. 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.”
Nieves and Mo Brings Plenty recently spoke about the depths of gratitude they felt for the opportunity to bring these stories together, and they shared more in-depth glances into what it takes to bring those stories to life.
Sklenar, who breathes life into Spencer Dutton, said that he wasn’t made aware of much regarding the persona of his character. From previous interviews with cast members in shows across the Yellowstone realm, it’s evident that Sheridan keeps his cards close to his chest until the exact moment that he needs to show them.
“I knew he was a veteran. I knew that, and I knew he was a big-game hunter and that he was the son of Tim and Faith’s characters, and the brother of Elsa and John, but that’s as far as it got.”
Of course, the adventure for Spencer was unlike that of any other character in 1923 or the Yellowverse as a whole. He’s spent his stint in the first season almost exclusively in Africa, chasing a life that would allow him peace from his own mind, memories, and thoughts. While we all know that you can’t ever outrun yourself, Spencer didn’t give up trying until he found Alexandra, or Alex, the woman who quickly established herself as the love of his life.
Alex is played by Schlaepfer, who said she wasn’t sure how long she’d even be in the series, she joked with Sklenar about how he used to get mad when she would approach each new day with the worry that she wasn’t sticking around.
“I thought I was going to be dead and gone early, and every day at cowboy camp, uyou’d get so mad at me because I’d come in and I’d be like ‘I think…I’m just…I’m not gonna be around for a while.”
Sklenar would remind her that she was the romantic lead of the entire series and that she wouldn’t be meeting an untimely demise, it just wouldn’t make sense, but it still didn’t stick with her. Of course, anyone who knows the Yellowverse knows that sometimes a character feels secure in their role and — poof…they’re dead. There are no promises in Sheridan’s realm, and it would be quite boring if there were.
While the door has been closed on the first chapter of the 1923 experience, it’s certainly not over. Season two is on the horizon and most of our favorite characters are still alive and well; so we’re anticipating an exciting second season and we can’t wait to take the next wild ride.
For those who missed a moment of joy and magic, you can watch the first season of 1923 in its entirety streaming on Paramount Plus now.
