The Yellowstoners, Mike DeAngelo and Rodrigo Perez, have returned. This time, instead of breaking down the latest episode of “Yellowstone,” the hosts turn their attention to the latest spinoff series, “1923.”
Also created by Taylor Sheridan, “1923” follows Jacob Dutton (Harrison Ford) and Cara Dutton (Helen Mirren), who have taken over the land for the Dutton family and are trying to raise a ranching empire in the 1920s amidst potential range wars, prohibition, and the Great Depression. The show also stars James Badge Dale, Marley Shelton, Robert Patrick, Brandon Sklenar, Aminah Nieves, and more.
On today’s podcast, our hosts wrestle with the latest spinoff and its ties to the greater “Yellowstone” universe, and afterward, cast members Harrison Ford, James Badge Dale & Marley Shelton stop by to chat about becoming a part of this amazing multi-generation-spanning story that creator Sheridan is bringing to life. As to why everyone seems to be jumping on board the “Yellowstone” train, Ford suggests the answer is fairly straightforward, despite himself saying in past interviews that he was unlikely to make the jump to television.
“To me, the quality of the work that they’ve been doing there is evident,” Ford said of joining the “Yellowstone” universe. “So, my ambition to be part of that doesn’t seem to be, to me, too much of a stretch. We assume there’s this big difference between television and films. It’s really just the destination for it [that’s different]. There are great opportunities to tell complicated and ambitious stories on television, but it’s just where you show it. This has got very high-quality cinematography. This would play very well in a movie theater. But Taylor thinks of these things, not as television, but he thinks of them as one-hour movies, and we’re going to make eight or ten of them. So, there’s very high ambitions and standards.”
READ MORE: ‘1923’ Teaser Trailer: Violence Has Always Haunted The Yellowstone Dutton Family
The pilot itself has a lot of characters to introduce, so don’t be surprised if you’re unsure of everything the show is tackling just yet. During the interview, Ford was quick to tease more about what they’re trying to address in “1923” as a whole.
“We are placed in a time in history when Jacob’s way of life is being challenged by oncoming modernity,” Ford said. “Electricity is coming to homes, the streets are clogged with horseless vehicles – automobiles, and it’s a little disorienting to Jacob to watch the changes in his culture, and he’s afraid to lose that way of life. The family has built a way of life with resolve and sacrifice, and sweat, and now it’s being challenged. There’s a drought. There’s competition for the grass from shepherds. There’s economic pressure from the banks, which are now finding that many of their loans to ranchers are defaulted on. Times are hard.”
As for James Badge Dale and Marley Shelton, viewers might assume their characters of John Dutton Sr. and Emma Dutton might be the grandparents of Kevin Costner’s John Dutton, but I wouldn’t be so sure just yet. Marley Shelton was eager to dispel such assumptions, as even they apparently don’t know how their characters relate to John Dutton.
“What’s funny about that is that it has still not been revealed to us whether we are Grandma and Grandpa [to John Dutton] or Great Aunt and Uncle – this is still up for [debate]. We don’t know,” Shelton shared.
Of course, Marvel fans have recently been celebrating Harrison Ford joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Ford will be taking over the role of General “Thunderbolt” Ross, who was previously played by the late William Hurt. The actor passed away earlier this year. Many assumed Ford wouldn’t be interested in joining the MCU; however, to Ford, the answer as to why he would is simple.
“Hey, look, I’ve done a lot of things. I now want to do some of the things I haven’t done,” Ford said.
One might assume those “things he hasn’t done” include motion capture, as the character does eventually become the Red Hulk. Our host, Mike DeAngelo, asked if Ford was going to be putting on the grey motion capture suit for such things. Ever the professional, Ford simply smiled and replied with a “zipped-lips” sign. Can we call that a confirmation, Mr. Ford?
Less horsing around and more drama. You can listen to the entire episode discussion and interviews below.
Yellowstoners is part of The Playlist Podcast Network—which includes The Playlist Podcast, The Rogue Ones, Bingeworthy, Deep Focus, The Fourth Wall, The Discourse, and more—and can be heard on iTunes, AnchorFM, Soundcloud, Stitcher, and now on Spotify. Be sure to subscribe and drop us a comment or a rating, as we appreciate it. Thank you for listening.
