After a month-long hiatus, Taylor Sheridan‘s 1923 is back with another gripping installment of the Dutton family’s quest to keep their ranch in the beautiful, but deadly wilds of Montana. After World War I, Jacob (Harrison Ford), Cara (Helen Mirren), late brother John (James Badge Dale) and company have been battling to defend Paradise Valley while Spencer (Brandon Sklenar) has been in Africa hunting the big cats that plague tourist groups and villages. His meager and dangerous existence is turned upside down when he meets the ravishing and rowdy British beauty, Alexandra (Julia Schlaepfer), who is escaping from an arranged marriage. Their whirlwind romance leads Spencer to offer a quick marriage proposal—which almost ends in disaster after a lion attack—and the two retreat to Spencer’s African bungalow.
Alex discovers six years’ worth of unread letters from Cara that she insists on opening. Spencer and Alex learn that Spencer is needed at home to save the family’s ranch. “It’s the opportunity he has been waiting for his whole life,” Sklenar mused. “As tragic as it is, that’s the very thing he’s been searching for.” The next morning, the two embark on a dangerous journey spanning two continents to reach whatever’s left of the family and their homestead.
Decider got the chance to speak with Sklenar over Zoom to talk about his (and his family’s) love for the Yellowstone franchise, what makes Spencer tick, and the best parts about working with the “very giving” Schlaepfer.
DECIDER: Were you a fan of the Yellowstone universe before you auditioned for 1923? Tell us how you landed the part of Spencer.
BRANDON SKLENAR: I was a massive fan. My whole family too. We just thought 1883 was a masterpiece. I’ve been tracking this show since it was initially announced as 1932 because it’s been a goal of mine to work with Taylor for years. After they changed the show to 1923, I was on a backpacking trip in Washington and Oregon for about a month. I was on a break and wasn’t doing any acting stuff until I got the audition for the role of Spencer. As soon as I read the breakdown, I thought, “This is a pretty incredible character.” And after I read the sides, I told myself, “I’m right for this role.” Long story short, I ended up going to Jackson Hole and meeting with Taylor, and that was it.
While Taylor Sheridan is a seasoned storyteller, 1923 might be his most ambitious project yet. In addition to crafting the Duttons’ lineage, the show takes viewers from Montana to WWI trenches to Africa. What was your reaction to the scope of Spencer’s story?
Oh, I was blown away. You don’t really see stories like this anymore. It feels like something that was made 50 years ago. It’s an epic. Even as I was going into the audition process, I was like, “this is such a gift.” You just don’t see this kind of multi-generational story in mainstream media very often.
One of the most telling scenes that reveals Spencer’s character has him violently admonishing the British safari guide for not expressing sorrow after the loss of his African hunting partner. Spencer can’t stand to witness man’s inhumanity to man. Do you think he was an empathetic man even before the war?
100%. His whole life has been rooted in trauma. We saw the flashback in Yellowstone where he witnessed his father die in front of him after being shot. We know his mother froze to death, which he witnessed. Going through those two tragedies at such an early age, Spencer could go one of two ways. He could either become incredibly empathetic to and understanding of the feelings of others, or he could become callous, cold, and sociopathic. Thankfully, he went in the first direction.
“Dying is the most alive you’ll ever feel” is one of Spencer’s memorable lines. Is it this nihilistic outlook that makes the profession of big game hunter attractive to him?
I don’t know if it would be nihilism. He has experienced trauma as a child and in the war to the point that he can’t go back to normal life. He needs the thrill and high stakes of hunting dangerous and threatening animals to jolt him into the present and give him something to live for. He’s not necessarily nihilistic, but he is constantly searching for some reason for being alive.
It seems like he’s found someone to live for with Alexandra. She’s pretty, smart and ballsy as all heck. But is there something more that draws Spencer to her?
They have an unconscious connection. That’s what makes it so magical and that’s why fans seem to be responding to Spencer and Alex the way that they are. Their bond is something that neither of them can explain. So much of what we see them doing is trying to make sense of this thing that they just can’t deny and that they can’t move away from. They fill a hole within each other, for each other, for sure.
I’m fully obsessed with Julia Schlaepfer. Can you talk about working with her?
You know, we got lucky. Taylor cast both of us separately so there wasn’t a chemistry read or anything. We just get along really well. She’s also just such an available actor. She’s hyper present, very giving, and holds space for me if I’m having a moment. You need that when you’re both isolated in Africa with an intense shooting schedule. It was a blessing that we were able to be there for each other and create a safe space together. It’s wonderful working with her.
What is her greatest strength as a scene partner?
Her presence. She’s never distracted, she’s never somewhere else. We’re both able to drop in with each other and hold the moment. The best gift you can give a scene partner is not being in your own way or in their way. We are just in each scene together.
In the midst of so much horror back in America, many of Spencer’s and Alex’s scenes together—some feel screwball comedy, others romantic —offer a welcome respite for the audience. How do you approach your character’s tonal shifts as an actor?
Thoughtfully. However, it’s all by design. What makes this show different, I think, from Taylor’s other work, is that there is such a sweeping tonal shift from episode to episode. It’s very hard to achieve, and I believe that we did achieve it. There was a lot of discussion in terms of where are we at now in the story and what is the vibe of this episode? What’s the vibe of this moment? It’s definitely not easy to do.
In her last letter, Cara not only delivers bad news, but puts a crushing weight upon Spencer’s precarious psyche when she declares him his family’s savior. Can he stand up to this burden?
It’s the opportunity he has been waiting for his whole life. As tragic as it is, that’s the very thing he’s been searching for– some purpose. Because it becomes his mission to save the family’s ranch, he is able to overcome whatever guilt and shame he feels from not contacting them and hiding himself away for as long as he has.
We know Spencer has survived the war, we know he’s survived as a big game hunter in Africa, but does Spencer have the ruthlessness required to run the Dutton ranch?
Absolutely. He’s a Dutton, and it’s in his DNA. He has the ability to be as savage as he needs to be. He doesn’t have a doubt in his mind that he’s going to be able to do what he sets out to do. Once he decides on something, that’s what’s going to happen. That’s a classic Dutton trait you see in family members throughout the franchise. That confidence and determination are on display in 1883, Yellowstone, and now 1923.
Alex says she craves adventure, but we saw how she reacted to the lion attack. Is Spencer at all worried about how Alex will react to life on the ranch?
He’s acutely aware of how she is at all times. He knows what he’s getting her into, how dangerous it is, and what it’s going to ask of her. That’s why he’s hesitant at times. Yeah, he’s worried [laughs]. He’s scared because he loves her and he doesn’t want anything to happen to her. She’s another person he’s going to have to protect and keep safe, but he’s committed to doing it.
What can you tease about the next batch of 1923 episodes, if anything?
What can I tease about them? Well, doesn’t get any easier for anybody. I could say that [laughs].