Did anyone actually read the script before signing up for 1923? The buzz surrounding the Yellowstone spin-off seems to speak for itself, with James Bond movie actor Helen Mirren following in Harrison Ford’s footsteps and accepting a role on the show without even reading the script.
As Cara Dutton, Mirren plays the on-screen wife of Ford’s character Jacob Dutton, who takes over the Yellowstone ranch on the cusp of the Great Depression and must navigate the trials and tribulations of living in the Old West.
Speaking to Variety about her decision to join the Western-inspired franchise, Mirren explained, “I wasn’t hugely familiar with the whole thing. What interested me about I did see 1883,’ and that era of American history has always really fascinated me.”
She continued, “The fact that Harrison was going to be involved was very important for me. Both of us committed to it without really reading any scripts. We didn’t really know what we were signing up for — the specifics of what we were signing up for. We had trust in Taylor’s extraordinary abilities as a writer and we took a leap of faith.”
Speaking about Cara and Jacob’s relationship, Mirren explained, “They’ve been together for 50 years. When you do spend 50 years ago, especially in in the circumstances that Cara and Jacob are living their lives, it becomes, at its best, an absolute equal partnership.”
“I love the fact that it’s what happens after, ‘and they lived happily ever after.’ What happens next? I love that Taylor has given the room and the space in the story to look at a mature relationship and see how that relationship can succeed or flounder and the challenges involved in keeping a relationship together.”
Along with Yellowstone season 5 and 1883, 1923 is available to watch on the streaming service Paramount Plus now.