After Harrison Ford’s high praise for his 1923 creator Taylor Sheridan, another star from the series explains why Sheridan is a unique creator in all senses. Brandon Sklenar called the Yellowstone spinoff a once-in-a-lifetime experience and shared that no grand-scale film could match up to Sheridan’s series. Sklenar plays Spencer Dutton, the nephew of Ford’s character Jacob Dutton and the son of James Dutton, played by Tim McGraw in 1883.
Besides Ford and Sklenar, the series also stars Helen Mirren, Julia Schlaepfer, and Isabel May. The series premiered in December 2022 and was renewed for a second season in February 2023. The debut of the series holds the record for Paramount+’s biggest debut ever.
Harrison Ford’s 1923 Co-Star Finds Working With Taylor Sheridan A Unique Experience
Brandon Sklenar’s Spencer Dutton spent most of his time in 1923 outside of America. He enlists as part of the American Expedition Force fighting overseas and later spends time in Sub-Saharan Africa working for the Protectorate of Kenya. During an interview with Fox News Digital at this year’s Golden Globes, Sklenar opened up about filming in these different locations.
He shared his incredible experience on the Yellowstone spin-off series, where he got to film in international locations like Kenya and Malta as well as different American locations. He shared that even if get to do a film of this scale, he would’ve rarely gotten the opportunity to travel to these locations. He credited his series creator Taylor Sheridan for the show’s grand scale of production.
He shared that if Sheridan wrote the story in a particular location, then the actors had to go to those places. The Wind River director would send his cast there and ask them to figure things out by themselves. Sklenar shared with Fox News Digital:
“I’ll probably never have an experience like that again. We were in Africa, in Kenya, in Malta … shot in Salt Lake, shot in Montana, and even if I do a film on that scale again, you just rarely get to go to those locations. Taylor [Sheridan] being who he is … if he writes that’s where you are, then that’s where you go, and he sends you there, and he throws you into the wolves. [He’ll be like] ‘Go figure it out.'”
Despite his recent issues with Yellowstone star Kevin Costner, Sheridan appears to be a popular figure among 1923 stars. Harrison Ford, who leads the series, called him “the most extraordinary talent of our current time” during another interview with Fox News Digital. Both Ford and co-lead Helen Mirren revealed having a good time working in the series.
Brandon Sklenar Opened Up About Working With Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren
Brandon Sklenar never got to appear alongside Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren during the first season, but he will get the chance during the second season currently in development. However, he met them at “cowboy camp” where the actors prepare for the series. Sklenar recalled how the Indiana Jones actor flew in on his helicopter and brought his own saddle. He recalled to Fox News, “The guy’s just a bad*ss.”
He also had a great time with Mirren whom he described as being “grounded” all the time. He shared that watching her work was really inspiring. He shared:
“She’s just so grounded all the time. There’s no sense of self where it’s inflated in any way. Just witnessing that has been really inspiring. It’s just the way to do it… staying salty.”
According to Paramount’s statistics, 7.4 million viewers watched the debut episode of 1923 making it the network’s biggest debut ever (via Deadline). Ford and Mirren will return for a second season after favorable reviews for the first season.
1923 is now available for streaming on Paramount+.
