‘1883’s Ennis, Eric Nelsen, opens up on the ‘Yellowstone’ prequel experience with Outsider (EXCLUSIVE)

As 1883 premieres its full season on Paramount Network, Outsider sat down with Ennis star Eric Nelsen on how the Yellowstone prequel changed his life.

Audiences will never get over Ennis’ gut-wrenching arc in 1883. I won’t spoil it for you here if you’ve yet to watch the full series, but buckle in and saddle up for what’s to come, folks.

Thanks to an earnest naivety and the palpable goodness of actor Eric Nelsen, that arc is now a hallmark of the series, and Ennis became one of the stand-out characters in Taylor Sheridan‘s finest television project to date.

To celebrate the series’ full airing on cable, I sat down to catch up with his co-star, the fantastic LaMonica Garrett, alongside getting to chat with Eric for the first time. You’ll find his insight into the 1883 experience below.

It’s been a year and a half since 1883 hit audiences. What is sticking with you about this experience all this time later?

It’s funny because, with 1923 following and Yellowstone premiering new episodes, it’s as if the show never left and hasn’t stopped. I just get the sense that, to this day, everywhere we go, people are stopping us and telling us how much they enjoy the show.

Taylor Sheridan was able to encompass all of this universe, generations of this Dutton family, under one umbrella. So its as if we never left! It’s really exciting, and for those who didn’t watch or stream 1883 on Paramount Plus, I’m really, really excited – and honestly jealous of these people – because they get to see it for the first time.

I mean, you remember, the show knocks you off your feet. I’m also excited to watch it again myself. There’s just so much to take in that I know I’m still going to be seeing new stuff now.

Not just saying this because I have you and Eric on with me today, but Thomas and Ennis are two of the best characters and performances on this show. You both give your absolute top performances as these men while performing with some of the most iconic personalities of the Western world. And it feels like a lot of that chemistry comes from the comfort you all had together. The family you built on this show.

We’re still a massive family. And we’re so fortunate that this genre, the Western world that we’re in, has so many unique and fun things to do all year long. So we’re at rodeos and we’re at concerts, there’s just so much we can do not just as people but as a unit.

And we’re embraced everywhere we go by the culture! Which is just an experience I’ve never had before in this industry in seventeen years. So it’s really unique. It’s so special and I’m so grateful for all of it.

Like you’ve both said, this cast has been so embraced by Western culture, and a lot of that comes from the authenticity of a Sheridan production. But 1883 also does such a fantastic job of touching on every facet of the American experience, one that’s still with us. It’s past, present, and future. What did 1883 teach you about that American experience?

It gave me such an appreciation for the early American settlers and what they had to go through. I imagine me today – back then – and I wouldn’t have lasted two seconds! It’s almost impossible to think of. But it also teaches us that nothing is impossible.

This journey that seems undoable gets done! All by these individuals and through their blood, sweat and tears. And it did happen. These are stories that actually happened in a very real way and existed in American history. If 1883

You don’t give yourself enough credit, Eric – I think you’d do fine. I’ve seen you on a horse, you’d be alright! Now who’s the better of the two of you on horseback, though? There’s a question.

LaMonica: Oh man, Eric all day! He’s a fish in water on a horse.

Eric: I don’t know about that. And there’s something about seeing LaMonica on a horse, because he’s just as big. It’s this insane visual! But man, at this point, we’ve had so much fun on horseback that you could throw us on any terrain and every one of the 1883 cast members could get through it on a horse. Which is just really cool to be able to say.

What’s next for you, Eric? What’s coming up?

I’m actually currently shooting another Western, which is fun because it’s my first since 1883. Man, I read a lot that came my way coming off of Taylor’s, but it was like ‘God, it has got to be of a certain caliber or else it’s not even worth dipping your toes in.

But finally found another one that was, and I play Charlie Russell, the famous painter from the late 1800s and early 1900s. Which is fun to depict a character from history. And we’ve got Mo from Yellowstone and Buck Taylor on with us, so we’re getting a couple of the band members back together. It’s been fun!

To end on a big note, what’s that one experience from 1883 that was life changing for you?

One was exactly what LaMonica said [read here]. I am experiencing this set, the grandness of it and how big it was… I had never seen anything like it. And I was like “Man, I’ve just been on the wrong sets!” But Sam Elliott‘s right there, and he’s like:

“I promise you, Eric, it does not get better than this.”

So to hear him say that? I was like, “Oh my gosh! This is real! These are legitimate feelings I’m having right now that I will never have again.”

So that kind of cemented that in my mind, like okay, this is actually the most epic show to be a part of right now.

And to say this, too, family was the most important thing to Taylor [Sheridan] while we were on set, too. His personal family was there, and his son is just riding horses around the set the whole time. So that absolutely translated to all of us, the cast and crew. He treated us like family, and that’s why we all still text and hang out and run around the country together after 1883.

Eric Nelsen stars in 1883, currently airing on Paramount Network, every Sunday at 8 PM ET/PT.