1923 will mark the next chapter in Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone universe — and this generation of Duttons features some big names. Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren star as Jacob and Cara Dutton in the Yellowstone prequel, the ancestors of Kevin Costner’s John Dutton. The two veteran actors play a married couple who are managing the family farm in the 1920s that will become the famous Dutton Ranch. But, neither one sought out Costner’s advice before taking on the roles.
‘1923’ shows the ‘survival’ of the Dutton family in Montana
The setting for the new Yellowstone prequel 1923 is 1920s Montana, when the Duttons are facing hardships during a time of western expansion. The post-World War I time period will also see the family dealing with prohibition and the coming Great Depression.
“We’re going to see people who we didn’t know about come into the universe and we are going to recognize certain characters who are now members of the present-day Yellowstone family,” star Sebastian Roché told Variety. “In 1883, you saw the genesis of the Dutton family. This is the survival of the family.”
Stepping into the world of Duttons was a big task for Ford, who hasn’t really done television since his career began in the late 1960s. But even though we was a newbie on the ranch, Ford didn’t turn to Costner for any words of wisdom.
Harrison Ford respects Kevin Costner ‘enormously’ but didn’t speak to him before filming the prequel
At the recent 1923 premiere, Ford said — per Yahoo! — that he respects Costner and the original Yellowstone series. However, he was able to handle the role of Jacob Dutton without the two-time Oscar winner’s help.
“I respect Kevin enormously and his body of work and everything he’s done, and the work he’s doing in Yellowstone. But I’m on my own path,” Ford said. “We haven’t had a chance to catch up, but I’m looking forward to it.”
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Ford said that he wanted to star in 1923 because of Sheridan’s writing. He thought the role of Jacob was “an incredibly ambitious and vigorous character to play,” and it “seemed like a good idea.”
Mirren also confessed that she hasn’t spoken to Costner, either. Her reason being — she doesn’t know him. However, she’s open to getting together “one of these days.” Mirren explained that she was attracted to the role of Cara Dutton because she’s always been fascinated by American history, especially the American West.
‘1923’ star Harrison Ford tested ‘approximately 75 hats’ to find the right look for Jacob Dutton
Creating the right look for his character was extremely important to both Ford and Sheridan. 1923 costume designer Janie Bryant revealed that Sheridan was “very specific” about what he wanted, and the Indiana Jones star had to try on “approximately 75 hats” to get it right.
“It’s all about his hat. We made so many for him. All the different colors — trying the different creases, the different brims, the different crown heights,” Bryant said. “Taylor is also very specific about the kind of hat that he likes, too. There was a lot of collaboration with Taylor, with Harrison, and myself, to create what I call the ‘Jacob.’”
1923 premieres Sunday, December 18 on Paramount+.
