Tim McGraw (‘1883’): ‘Everything just felt magical’ on the set of ‘Yellowstone’ prequel series [Exclusive Video Interview]
“I embraced the challenge of it,” declares Tim McGraw about the experience of filming “1883,” the critically-acclaimed prequel to the hit drama “Yellowstone.” This 10-episode limited series follows the Dutton family as they travel from Texas to Montana, settling in the land that eventually becomes the Yellowstone Ranch. McGraw stars as James Dutton, a former Confederate soldier traveling with his wife Margaret, played by McGraw’s own wife Faith Hill, daughter Elsa (Isabel May) and son John (Audie Rick). Watch our exclusive video interview with the three-time Grammy winner above.
Series creator Taylor Sheridan, who also wrote all 10 episodes, is notorious for his commitment to authenticity, something that McGraw says only made his job easier. “I found the way he writes and the descriptions of the scener very liberating as an actor,” he says. “I think it gave me room to just learn the words and know the words. And if you knew the words, then you’re put into a world that’s been created. That’s so special and so perfect.”
McGraw credits Sheridan’s writing with the success of both “1883” and “Yellowstone,” pointing to what he calls the poetry of Sheridan’s script. “It’s poetic in a lot of ways and not just some sort of dry commentary,” he argues. “He’s got some magic that’s going on right now. Who knows how long stuff like that lasts, but when the zeitgeist is right, the zeitgeist is right.”
Appearing opposite his real-life wife — McGraw and Hill have been married for more than 25 years — provided a challenge for both actors to escape their status as one of country music’s most admired couples. The pair went to great lengths to differentiate their onscreen relationship from their public persona. “We knew it was a high bar to go in there and for people not see the screen and not see Tim and Faith,” he says. During their preparation, McGraw and Hill made it a point to never run lines together and instead save their interactions for the camera. “We knew that we would have our connection, and we knew that would have our chemistry because of our relationship.”
McGraw found that certain scenes required a lot of him emotionally, particularly in scenes with onscreen daughter Isabel May. “There would be times where as an actor in the scene delivering lines I would get emotional and I would have to check myself,” he says, likening the experience to tightrope walking. “Then with the writing that Taylor provided and the the world that we were living in at the time… everything just felt magical.”
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