You might think that the Targaryen family tree is unruly, but for the stars of 1923, Yellowstone’s second spin-off TV series, that’s nothing compared to the Duttons down at Yellowstone ranch. With the Western drama series and its various spin-offs spanning several generations of the family, social media is littered with venn diagrams, charts, and family trees to try and make sense of the Dutton dynasty.
James Badge Dale, who plays Jacob Dutton’s (Harrison Ford’s) nephew in 1923, is one of the biggest stars in the series. His character, John Dutton Sr, is married to Emma Dutton (Marley Shelton), and is father to Jack Dutton (Darren Mann). Got it? Well, in a new interview with The Hollywood reporter, Dale admitted that he didn’t get the Dutton family tree either.
“I don’t know the tree,” he said. “We all need a flow chart. I’ve seen them online, when people have tried to create them. I don’t know if those are accurate or not. And here’s the thing, this is [showrunner] Taylor [Sheridan’s] universe. We could be saying one thing or thinking one thing, and Taylor can decide something else, and we’ll be watching 1943 and realize it’s a little different and he’ll change it up.”
The actor added that the complex family lore of the Duttons was a “running joke” on-set, and that a lot of the other cast members didn’t get it either. “Harrison [Ford] and I would be like, ‘I think we’re related, I don’t know how.’ We all need a flow chart.”
Maybe Dale and Harrison would benefit from our guides explaining the Yellowstone timeline and what makes the 1923 cast related to the Duttons. Or, if you have the time, why not check out our guides to 6666, or 1883 season 2?