Unveiling the Secrets of ‘1883’: Sam Elliott’s Unforgettable Encounter with Taylor Sheridan

With 1883 now streaming on Paramount+, I recently got to speak with Sam Elliott about making the Yellowstone prequel series. During the interview, Elliott talked about why making the series has been so challenging for both the cast and crew, how creator Taylor Sheridan told him that Elliott would hate him by the end of filming, what it’s been like filming on location in Texas and Montana, his first job as an extra in The Way West in 1967, and more.

If you haven’t seen the 1883 trailer, the prequel series explores the Dutton family’s journey west through the Great Plains and how they ended up owning their expansive Montana ranch as seen on Yellowstone. 1883 also stars Tim McGraw, Isabel May, LaMonica Garrett, Audie Rick, Marc Rissmann, Eric Nelsen, and James Landry Hébert. Also, last weekend’s two-episode series premiere brought in a massive 4.9 million total viewers, following its parent show Yellowstone, making the airing the biggest new series premiere on cable since 2015. Across the night, including the premiere, simulcasts, and encores, the premiere garnered over 6.4 million viewers.

Check out what Sam Elliott had to say in the player above and below is exactly what we talked about. Finally, unlike some shows which are filmed on soundstages, 1883

Sam Elliott

• If someone has never seen anything he’s done what is the first thing he wants them watching and why?
• He talks about his first job in movies as an extra in The Way West in 1967.
• How he decided early in his career that it was always about the work and not about the money.
• Since 1883 is filmed on location it must have been a challenging shoot.
• How Taylor Sheridan told him before filming began that Elliott would hate him by the end because of how tough the shoot was going to be.
• How the shoot started in the extreme heat of Texas and then they went to Montana in the extreme cold.