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After the incredible success ofYellowstone, Taylor Sheridan roped in Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford for the prequel series1923. It follows the story of the Dutton family in 1923, where Mirren played Cara Dutton and Ford played her husband Jacob Dutton. Mirren is not an actress to walk into a television show without reading a script. On top of that, she hated most of the“normal”Western films. However, she signed on to theYellowstonespin-off without a script.
Mirren revealed that she loved Taylor Sheridan’s Western films, especially his 2017 filmWind River. She revealed that the creator managed to carve out some incredibly flawed characters, which made the series a different experience for her.
Helen Mirren Was Drawn To Taylor Sheridan’s Western Drama1923After Watching His One Film
Helen Mirren is an unapologetic badass inTaylor Sheridan‘sYellowstonespin-off1923. Mirren plays the Dutton family matriarch in the film and gets her shot at a role in a Western drama, a genre that she publicly hated. However,when it came to1923, theShazam! Fury of the Godsactress signed on for the role without reading a script.
Mirren shared in an interview with Rolling Stone that she loved Sheridan’s Western films and became a fan of the creator after watching his film,Wind River. Sheridan’s neo-Western crime film starredElizabeth Olsenand Jeremy Renner. Set in the Wind River Indian Reservation, the film explores the investigation of the death of Natalie Hanson of the Northern Arapaho tribe.
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The film aimed to raise awareness of the atrocities committed against indigenous women, both on and off reservations.The strongly themed filmreceived critical acclaim and garnered the love of many, including Mirren’s.
During her interview, Mirren also shared that Sheridan’s Western movies were not your typical ones where the women were either teachers or madams at a brothel. She knew that she had a more powerful role in the series. Mirren shared withRolling Stone:
“I loved Taylor Sheridan’s films. I loved Wind River. I knew that it wouldn’t be the normal kind of Western, the kind that I don’t usually like. Which, I have to say, is an extremely old fashioned idea of a Western — the sort of 1950s version where the women were either teachers or madams at a brothel, and there was nothing in between. I knew 1923 wouldn’t be like that.”
It is not just Sheridan’s kind of Western films that Mirren loved. She also loved oneQuentin Tarantinofilm that depicted characters that are incredibly flawed, interesting, and violent. She revealed being a fan of the neo-noir Western filmThe Hateful Eightfrom the director.
Helen Mirren Was Excited To Work Without A Script In1923
Helen Mirrentold Rolling Stone that she was not used to doing television roles without reading a script. For1923, Helen Mirren and the others were given the script only before the filming of a particular episode. Mirren shared that she would have no idea about what she would be walking into, which made the filming more exciting for her. She revealed that she would’ve no idea whether her character would live or die in the next episode. Mirren shared:
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The Queenactress also gave her insight into why theYellowstonefranchise became so successful among American viewers. She revealed that the series told the countryside’s history from a family’s perspective. According to Mirren, the story was raw and uncomfortable in a lot of ways since the“people are incredibly flawed, they make very bad decisions, they’re cruel, they’re greedy, arrogant and self-interested,”yet they turned out to be the heroes.
1923is now available for streaming on Paramount+, whileYellowstoneis available for streaming on Peacock.
Hashim Asraff
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3019
Hashim Asraff is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, with over 2,800 articles published on celebrity culture, comic book movies, and major TV franchises. With a background in Sociology and a keen interest in pop culture, Hashim brings a unique lens to breaking news stories, character deep-dives, film rankings, and fan-driven perspectives.His coverage often includes the MCU, DCU, hit network shows, and celebrity profiles, giving readers a rich blend of entertainment and analysis. A longtime fan of crime and investigative series, Hashim has watched thousands of episodes of NCIS, Criminal Minds, Law & Order: SVU, Bones, Blue Bloods, and The RookieA passionate storyteller and wordsmith, Hashim has also worked as a ghostwriter and managed multiple social media handles. He brought his writing expertise to FandomWire to also pursue his lifelong love for cinema and television.
