Tales of the American Frontier are often about men, but the Yellowstone prequel series 1883 is determined to change that. Not only is the show told from the perspective of the teenage Dutton daughter Elsa (Isabel May), who even includes voiceovers to let viewers in to her true feelings about the journey, but her mother Margaret (Faith Hill) also plays a central role in ensuring the traveling party's survival. In 1883, Margaret and Elsa are shining examples of new points of view that help makes the Yellowstone spinoff series feel fresh and innovative.
At a roundtable interview attended by CBR and other outlets, Faith Hill and Isabel May spoke about the fierce women of 1883. They discussed the bond they formed as actors and how that translated to the screen, but the 1883 stars also discussed the physical work of the series -- from misplaced ribs due to the infamous period costumes to learning how to herd cattle, one-handed. Hill and May also spoke about the importance of centering women's voices in a story of the American West and how seriously they regarded this rare opportunity.
Hill and May play mother and daughter in 1883, a relationship that certainly has its tensions. "We did not know one another before the show," said Hill. "Honestly, it was a natural pairing. I think the writing, the way the script is written for Margaret and for Elsa, the characters that we play, I think the fact that I am a mom of three and Isabel does have traits of each of our daughters... But I think the writing and the script set the tone of what the relationship was going to be. But immediately we just hit it off, the fact that we have dimples and wanting her to embrace her beautiful dimples." May added that Hill is "an easy person to fall in love with. Her warmth and compassion -- she immediately just made me feel welcomed. I felt like I could be vulnerable with her and honest. The hard part really was pretending to be upset with her. That was hard."
Hill and May both play roles that are incredibly demanding emotionally. But thanks to the outdoor, cowboy lifestyle and period-appropriate attire, they're also in roles that are demanding physically. Hill described the rough physical nature of 1883, saying, "We were all told that it was going to be a physically demanding role for everyone, just because it needed to be as authentic as possible. But then the costuming? Whew, that's another level. The corsets, the layering of clothing -- I've had a few misplaced ribs along the way. They're back in place, everything's fine. But I don't know how they did it back then, honestly, I have whole new respect for that part of it."
May added, "I think what's interesting about this project, in particular, is you're living their experiences as literally as we as actors possibly can because the terrain and the environment are incredibly realistic and you are as cold as they would be and you were as hot as they would be. To a degree of course -- you get to go home and peel off the layers. But I think that just allows you to step into their shoes in a really honest way that otherwise being on a soundstage just would not be the same."
May and Hill also had the opportunity to do some real cowboying in 1883. May admitted that prior to this series she had never ridden horses before. "The minute I found I was gonna do the project I had the summer to find someone to ride with me as much as I possibly could," she said. "The cowboy camp certainly was intensive and that helped a great deal, but it was really just observing as best I could how the wranglers rode and their posture -- they're the real deal." May also talked about how she had never herded cattle before, especially the large longhorn. "But now," she added, "it's like the most comfortable -- I can casually do it with a cup of coffee in my hand."
"We had horses," Hill described. "I had a horse named Bandit and I had a really, really scary experience with him. It took off -- first of all, we should know this, most people who ride know this, but never run your horse when they see the barn. Don't ever let them run. Well, I didn't know that and I just let my horse Bandit for almost half a mile fly to the barn. It was terrifying. It was after I'd had Audrey, our third daughter, and after that moment I said you know what, I'm going to stay off the horses for a while because it terrified me that much. I was a casual rider but not as well as I should have been to be going that fast."
But working in 1883 gave Hill a chance to reconnect with horse riding. "After cowboy camp," she said, "I learned a lot about how to ride a horse properly. I spent a lot of time on the wagon, which I love. I love leading, that is actually really hard and for some reason, I was good at it. But I love riding, I do, and I've watched Isabel beginning and how she rides now it's like, wow. It's so freeing. It's like one of the best things, it's so therapeutic."
A story about early American settlers and western expansion rarely focuses on women, especially teenage girls. May understood that 1883 was special when she read the script. "I was incredibly moved," May said. "I couldn't believe I had the opportunity and have the opportunity to play this character and be the voice to a degree of the show and express everyone's experience collectively, because that's what she's doing. I always love the contrast of her point of view, her perspective and voiceover -- which is almost like poetry, it's like reading a novel almost -- and how pure and honest and alive and optimistic her point of view is, at least at the beginning. And then contrasting with the brutality and dangers of this world. I can't believe that I get to do it."
For Hill and May 1883 was a new experience in terms of the size and intensity of production. When asked what the most intimidating and rewarding parts of this journey were, Hill said, "We're still in it. When we leave here this afternoon, we go back to Texas and we film first thing in the morning, some pretty major scenes coming up this week."
"The most intimidating thing going into it was having read something as remarkable -- and we keep saying this, but it honestly is the truth," Hill continued. "As a woman, as a mom, having read something so strong and powerful. For a character, for a young female, I was knocked out by the fact that it could be written and I'd never ever read it written in that way, never read anything like it, close to it. The entire script, in a sense, was just remarkable. So going into it, the responsibility of bringing my character -- I think all of us would feel this way, our characters -- to life, giving them the justice that they need, creating them in the way that they were written and then some, that was the biggest fear and challenge."
"The reward is being able to experience that with the cast that we have all fallen in love with. We are all such a big family now and there are so many great performances in this show... And then just the hard work of everyone that you won't see sitting in front of a camera, doing an interview, that's responsible for creating the environment for us. That has been the most rewarding is to know that we've done the hardest thing we've ever done, all of us, but then to see it is like, 'Wow, okay. Maybe it's working.' It was beautiful to watch it last night. That's the truth."
1883 premieres Sunday, December 19 on Paramount+. New episodes will release weekly on Sundays.