If you’re anything like The Playlist crew, the pandemic gave you the chance to catch up on a lot of shows that you’ve been missing, and two of the shows that saw the biggest jump in popularity over the past couple of years are Taylor Sheridan’s “Yellowstone” and the spin-off “1883,” both putting up massive numbers for The Paramount Network and Paramount+.
At the heart of “1883” is an outstanding performance by relative newcomer, Isabel May, who plays Elsa Dutton, the Great Aunt of John Dutton (played by Kevin Costner in “Yellowstone”) and the lead character of the series (read our review of the series here). For the uninitiated, “1883” follows the Dutton family, led by James and Margaret Dutton (played by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, respectively), setting off on a journey along the Oregon Trail to lay claim to a home they can call their own. Isabel May, who plays the daughter of James and Margaret Dutton, recently joined The Bingeworthy Podcast to discuss getting the life-changing role of Elsa Dutton.
“I auditioned for a different project for Taylor [Sheridan], and found myself in the very, very lucky position in which he came to me after saying, ‘No, you’re not getting that other role. ‘And said, ‘But, I’ve written one for you.’ May said of Sheridan, writing her role of Elsa Dutton specifically for her after only one audition. “But yeah, that was my introduction into the show was basically Taylor saying, ‘Hey, come on in here.”
And Taylor Sheridan is one busy man, whether he’s writing and directing most of “Yellowstone” and “1883” himself or setting up the myriad of shows that are coming to Paramount+ over the coming year or so; however, that doesn’t mean Sheridan was able to let go of the reins quite yet with “1883.”
“He always said, ‘Look, there’s going to be two other directors because we’ll have two units going at the same time. I choose the scenes that I want to shoot, and they do the rest.” May shared of Sheridan’s intentions to slightly seed control to other directors on the show. “Next thing you know, we’re shooting and he’s there, always. And I went, ‘Didn’t you warn me that sometimes you’d be a little absent?’ And he was like, ‘No, this is my baby. I can’t leave.”
Of course, the conversation eventually turned to Isabel May’s recent casting as Jayna in the upcoming DC Comics film, “Wonder Twins.” Of course, recent rumors swirled that the film has been shelved by Warner Bros., but none of that is confirmed still, and as of our recent interview, May was still very much preparing for the role and was happy to talk about the character and her awareness of the “Wonder Twins” up until recently.
“1883” is streaming now in its entirety on Paramount+. You can listen to the entire deep-dive conversation below:
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