Cast of ‘Yellowstone’ prequel answers questions in Fort Worth | Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Ahead of a special preview event for the new National Cowgirl Museum & Hall of Fame exhibit “1883: The Journey West,” the Star-Telegram asked readers what questions they had for cast members of the prequel series to “Yellowstone.”

Show creator Taylor Sheridan was in attendance along with Gratiela Brancusi, who plays Noemi, and Dawn Olivieri, who plays Claire Dutton. Fort Worth resident Eric Nelsen, who plays Ennis, was also at the preview.

You asked and the stars answered. Here’s what they had to say about making “1883”.

Click to resize

What did it take to prepare for your role in ‘1883’ and how long was the process?

Eric Nelsen: [Taylor Sheridan’s] having us not only herd cattle but he’s having us push ‘em across rivers and up mountains and the whole deal, so that was imperative to the character in prepping for the show. Fortunate enough for me, my dad has been a thoroughbred polo horse trainer his whole life and we’ve shown horses and I grew up owning horses, so the culture, the history was in our family blood, but it was in no way as relevant in my life as it was for my character and so there was still so much more to learn and train for. I had never worked with cattle before. The greatest gift Taylor gave to us actors was getting multiple weeks of cowboy camp training for filming so that by the time we got to set the last thing we’re thinking about is “Am I looking right? Am I doing this right?” We just got to focus on our scene partner and live in the moment.

Gratiela Brancusi: A lot of research. There’s not a lot of documented history of Roma people so I had to reach out to people from the community, from family back home and my dad’s friends and everyone was nice enough to spend a lot of time with me and sort of introduce me to the customs and the culture as it was back in the day. There are still tribes that are very traditional today but I wasn’t raised in one, so I’m still learning. And also just learning how to ride a horse and rope and ride a wagon and all that, it’s some of the best time of my life.

What was it like to dress in the historical attire of the 1880s?

Dawn Olivieri: Well the funny thing is I learned real fast you gotta reverse operate a toilet experience because with all of that going on in the back and everything, there’s just no way you can sit so you actually have to turn on top of the toilet and straddle it and go forward. I just started doing that and then it became a conversation on set and someone read something online about how to use the restroom when you’re wearing 1800s outfits and that was one of the things, you got to turn around and do the opposite approach so it’s funny, it was a funny thing. It’s intense.

Did you feel like a pioneer during the making of 1883?

Eric Nelsen: Oh 100%. My wife makes fun of me to this day, she’s like, “You know you’re playing a part right?” because I’m in the boots now, I’m wearing the hats now, I’m fully invested in the culture and I absolutely love it. I listen to country music 24/7, which before the show wasn’t the case, and now I’m fully invested and completely in love with the enrichment of the world of western culture — I absolutely love it.

Why did Ennis leave the show?

Eric Nelsen: You know, coming into it I knew it was going to happen — you know obviously I had read the script and it was all part of the plan from day one. So getting into it I had an idea of the heartbreak and the disappointment that might come, but boy oh boy I tell you what the fans, you know I didn’t expect the amount of support and the amount of love that I received and it was truly overwhelming and mind blowing for me. Even to this day, you know, I get stopped on the street and “Why did that have to happen? Why?” they get personally offended and I understand and I feel the frustration. But what an incredible journey and life to have lived on the show and the fact that it impacted so many people the way that it did really just showed to me that what Isabel May and I were able to do together on camera really resonated and hit closer to home and in a lot of hearts and a lot of homes so to me that’s everything I could have asked for.

Will there be a continued series for 1883?

Taylor Sheridan: You will continue to see versions that peek into that world in different time periods for sure.

This story was originally published February 09, 2022 6:03 PM.