Sam Elliott (4:30)

Something I admire about Taylor's writing so much is he holds these two. These two seemingly incompatible things at the same time. There's the kind of Legend of the west, the sort of myth, the idea of it, the narrative. And then there's the often brutal reality of it. And I think that you embody that in your performance in this show so wholly. Your character has seen so much of the west and has come face to face with both of those things. The dream and the nightmare, the sort of heaven and the hell.

Lamonica Garrett (5:06)

Yeah.

Sam Elliott (5:07)

And it really. Even in the first two episodes of the show, from scene to scene, there's these scenes that happen on an epic scale. These huge shootouts, these massive kind of legendary scenes with a legendary quality. And then also stuff that is so intimate and human and personal and happens on such a kind of small scale, the micro and the macro. Will you talk about navigating both of those extremes on set? Going from these big set pieces, hundreds of horses, to then the very quiet interpersonal stuff.

Lamonica Garrett (5:43)

That, to me, is what makes Shay a human. But, you know, and who knows whether those great big. As you referred to, set pieces or really the way it was, you know, there's no doubt that Hell's Half Acre was, you know, well named down there where we started this thing, and that a lot of shit went on there. There's no doubt about that. But who knows where the myth and where the reality, you know, diverge or converge or whatever. It's certainly Taylor's vision that was a violent, violent time. It was certainly physically different in terms of. Certainly physically difficult in terms of just life in general back in those days. Shay's a troubled character. You know, he's a troubled man, I think, probably in the beginning, because he's a veteran of the Civil War. You know, he and Thomas both, and James as well. They're all vets of the Civil War, so they're troubled in the beginning. And the fact that Shay loses his wife and daughter and burns his house down in the very beginning, you know, and then the other thing about having charge of all of these immigrants on this wagon train, you know, whether he gravitated toward that because of looking for some stability or some diversion from what troubles him or what, I'm not sure. But he suffers that. He suffers the losses of those characters along the way. Every time an immigrant rise, you see that, it cuts him to the bone. And at the same time, he's willing to pull a pistol out and shoot some guy in the head because he stole somebody's bacon. And he's like. He's a complex man, and he's on his own journey. You know, he's on a journey to the ocean. I won't tell you why, but that's where he's heading. He's been to Oregon before, but he's taken himself back and he's taken his people along the way. But he's on his own journey to Oregon as well.

Sam Elliott (8:04)

Yeah, it really seems like that responsibility, the weight that he carries of protecting this innocence. Right. He's seen the opposite of innocence. He's seen the devil to a certain extent. He's seen the evil that men do to each other. And then the way he's drawn to the responsibility to protect these innocents, I think is fascinating. It's fascinating to see how that animates him. Right. When we first see him, he's almost ready to end his life. It almost feels like he's ready to move on he's done with it, but then over the course of it, we see him animated and sort of reawoken by this responsibility. So will you talk a little bit? I mean, I can't help but notice in some ways, obviously, there's obviously huge divergences, but in some ways, your responsibility, leading this show, taking a weight on yourself, an incredibly physically demanding job. You're in the middle of West Texas. It's exhausting and difficult. What's your relationship to that responsibility? The responsibility of leading and carrying this show, and then how that relates to and mirrors Shay's responsibility.

Lamonica Garrett (9:17)

Wow. Wow. You're a smart man. I don't feel like I'm carrying the show on my own shoulders. We all have a hand in it, whether we're on the crew or we're on the cast or what we're up to. But there is a comparison to draw there. I can appreciate that. I just. I have a job to do, and the better I can do my job, the job I was hired to do, I feel like the better the final product's gonna be. I think that probably is so obvious, and I shouldn't even have said it that way. And I think it's probably the same with Shay. The better he is at protecting those souls that are in his charge, the better he's gonna feel about himself. And that's one of the things about, you know, there's a lot of. A lot of loss. There's a lot of tragedy along the way. You'll see if you stick with this thing. There's bodies littered along. You know, there's a graveyard along the Oregon Trail from previous ones. They crossed a number of graveyards and the trails littered with bodies. And, you know, I think in the end that that's what makes Shay make his final decision.

Sam Elliott (10:57)

And it does. It really feels. You're exactly right, that it's in the same way that you don't carry that weight alone. You carry a tremendous burden, but you also share it with an incredible ensemble cast. So will you talk about working with other actors, all of whom are, you know, stars like this, sort of the shared responsibility, especially as it relates to you and Thomas lamonica Garret, because from the very first moment we see the two of you, the history between you is so rich. There's this kind of incredible relationship. Will you talk about working with lamonica and how you guys together fleshed out that rich relationship?

Lamonica Garrett (11:36)

We're still fleshing. That's the great thing is we're still fleshing. We're going to be at this until mid January. Lamonica and I knew lamonica's work, but I never met lamonica before. And we first crossed paths on a gun range, you know, shooting, shooting guns shooting, live ammo, shooting, blanks, shooting, which opens up a whole other question. But I think it's safe to say that lamonic and I really hit it off, like, immediately. And I think today, you know, we call each other brother and we diffuse. We love each other, and we've brought something to that relationship within the show that makes it ultra special to me. They're brothers in arms. Lamonica rode with the Buffalo Soldiers, which is a cavalry unit during the Civil War. Taylor says that Shay was with them at some point, which I doubt. All the photographs I've ever seen, the Buffalo Soldiers, there weren't any white guys with them. Lamonica or Thomas pulls Shay out of shooting himself in the head a number of times. He does that daily. There's a point down the road where Thomas has to say, I stop you from committing suicide every morning, though. There's that. And, you know, it's just having these two characters in the 1800s sharing the same tent and sharing this journey that they're on it, to me, is a wonderful thing. I'm more excited about that maybe, than anything in this thing, in terms of character and so forth.

Sam Elliott (13:41)

It's funny because the show, both 1883 and Yellowstone, revolve around families, but then, I think, also continue to question and examine that family structure. Right. It feels like you also find these incredible characters who are kind of bereft of family, who have experienced loss and are seeking these new family structures, are seeking these new sort of, you know, communities, these new sort of modes of family. Will you talk just in the last few minutes we have here, there's the image over and over again between the first, in the first couple episodes of Heaven and Hell. The extreme dichotomy and making these shows, making 1883, from everything I've heard, has been an incredibly immersive experience. You're really out there. You're really doing this stuff. Will you talk about a moment that has felt like each of those extremes? A moment of heaven and a moment of extreme difficulty of hell.

Lamonica Garrett (14:38)

Heaven would have been a day in Fort Worth when we shot Inside the White Elephant, when the bar girl came and sat on my lap. Stephanie Knewer is her name. She came in as a day player from LA and just knocked it out of the park for everyone. And that was early on, in that moment, that whole Thing. That whole encounter with that girl was just, you know, she's devastatingly beautiful and she's brilliant, and she's a wonderful actor. She's at the beginning of what I hope for her is a long, long career. That's the heaven side of it. I think the hell of it is just dealing with the elements more than anything. There were times when it was like 108 degrees down there in Fort Worth when we first started. We're out in the sun all day long, and we're wearing wool jackets, and the immigrants are wearing layers and layers of wool clothes. And then we go up to Montana and it's fucking freezing cold. And I mean cold. And I don't have a lot of clothes on. I'm wearing, like, a pair of pants and a jacket through most of the thing, and a vest and a shirt. We got layered up up there, of course. But there were times when it rained just enough to get wet, and then it started to ice up. And I just remember thinking, what the fuck, man? Am I going to die on this trail? I wondered that a few times. I wondered if I was up to the physicality of this thing. When we started it, I read the script and Taylor's character Description. He was 45 years old. I said, hey, Taylor, man, I'm almost twice that age, you know. Well, not quite. But I said, I'm way too old for this thing. And he said, nah, I Write everybody at 45. Bullshit. He promised me one thing. He promised me when we started this thing, he says, you're going to hate me by the end of this show. And he was talking about the elements. He was talking about how difficult it was going to be. And, you know, it is. I've worked harder, probably on other shows or just as hard. Not for such a length of time, excuse me as this, but it's the price to pay to be on the Oregon Trail and to tell this story. And in the end, if you know that, that's what we all keep focused on, because we're all out there suffering this stuff. You know, it's not just the cast.

Eric Nelson (17:32)

It's the crew.

Lamonica Garrett (17:32)

It's everybody. The company. Everybody just keeps talking about, you know, the few that are lucky enough to see some of it. Not everybody sees it. Although we did screen. They did screen the first two hours for the company when we were. Oh, God, maybe that was in Amarillo as well. It's important for him to see the work, to see what we're all doing out here. But in the end, you know, if we Feel like we did justice to Taylor's script and we caught it somehow. Like he envisioned it, like David Glasser envisioned it, like all of them. And, you know, the creative people envisioned it. And it's well worth a little suffering.

Sam Elliott (18:20)

It's amazing. Yeah. I can't. I'm so struck by the way that those journeys run parallel to each other. The journey of a cast, a cast of hundreds, because there's the entire wagon train. A cast of hundreds, a crew of 300, 400 people from all over the country coming together to tell a story to a certain extent about coming together to go on a journey.

Lamonica Garrett (18:47)

Exactly.

Sam Elliott (18:48)

And it really every. I hate to say it because you're in the middle of it, but every sort of difficulty, every hard time from the outside, from a comfortable seat on the outside, can't help but, but flavor the whole thing and give this show a truly, I think, unparalleled feeling of immersion and authenticity. It's incredible to see. It's spectacular to see. It's a feat that I think can't be overstated. And I just want to say thank you, first of all, for coming to talk with me today. I so appreciate it and thank you for this journey you've been on, because those of us who are viewing it from the outside, it's really a once in a lifetime experience as a viewer. So thank you so, so much.

Lamonica Garrett (19:37)

Thank you. Thank you. So pleasure to be here.

Jefferson White (19:43)

Wow. Mr. Elliot is obviously an incredible actor, but I'm also just so, so grateful, so lucky to have the opportunity to get to know him as a person. That's someone I've been learning from, watching.

Sam Elliott (19:56)

His work for years.

Jefferson White (19:57)

So getting to talk to him about it, getting to dive into his experience of working on this show a little bit, just teaches me so much about the kind of actor I want to be. So I'm so, so grateful for his time. We're going to take a quick break and then we're going to be back with Lamonica Garrett, who plays Thomas on 1883.

Sam Elliott (20:15)

I feel incredibly lucky to have with me in the studio today. Lamonica Garrett. Lamonica plays Thomas on 1883. Thank you so, so, so much for being here, man.

E (20:24)

Thanks for having me. This is great.

Sam Elliott (20:27)

We've seen the first two episodes of the show. Something that strikes me immediately about it. As we were just saying, making this show must feel like really traveling back in time.

E (20:37)

Yeah. It's the first thing I noticed when I got to cowboy camp, when I got to Taylor's ranch and I got in There. And I didn't have wifi, and I didn't have cable. And I was like, all right, no cable. But it's, you know, it's football season. I need to watch my Niners and couldn't do that. So. Didn't have cable. Didn't have cell signals. Didn't have it. So we just went back in time in that aspect, and it just. Everywhere we travel to the next location, no cable. Next location. This next location, it's just one location. No tv. Like, we're really in it. And no cell service. Gotta call home, call the family, you know, and that's at the hotels we're at and the barns and the ranches we're living in. And then when you go to the shooting locations, you're out in the middle of nowhere, so you're just dead to the world for, you know, for the whole day, sometimes the whole night.

Sam Elliott (21:27)

And right now you're in Las Vegas for about 48 hours promoting the show in between shooting it. Did you spend that entire time just catching up on football games? Just game to game to game?

E (21:37)

I wish I had that kind of time. It was nice getting here. Like, remote control. I got cable, I could watch some games. But as soon as we got here, it was interviews. It was interviews. My family came. I had friends in town, so I made sure everybody was checked in. And then it was time to get ready for the premiere, and that was that. And woke up this morning and interviews. Interviews. And now we're done in a minute and we're back on a plane and. Yeah. Start studying some more lines and get back to work tomorrow.

Sam Elliott (22:02)

I can't believe it. And I feel so incredibly grateful that in the middle of all of that, you're taking this time to talk to us.

E (22:09)

This is amazing, man. Yeah, this is dope.

Sam Elliott (22:12)

Thank you so much for being here. Something that I can't help but notice, characterizes, I think, a lot of Taylor's writing is these extremes. Right. Is the kind of Legend of the West. The myth, the idea we have of it, the idea we've seen in movies and television since we were young, and then the brutal reality, the truth of it. Now, in the first two episodes I've seen the first two episodes of the show, both of those things are really exemplified. And your character, Thomas, it feels like, to a certain extent, has seen the worst of what humanity has to offer.

E (22:45)

Yeah.

Sam Elliott (22:46)

And is sort of very disenchanted with that idea of the myth of the West. Will you talk about that a little bit?

E (22:55)

Yeah. To me, Thomas, he's the soul of the show. He's the humanity of the show and life. You know, being a black man in the 1800s, it was hard for Thomas. It was hard for everybody back then. It was a hard way of life back then, but for some more than others. And Thomas, he has a way about him where he sees hope in places where he shouldn't see it, like Shay has. He balances Shay, Sam's character, they have this great relationship, but Thomas has this way of looking at life like it is what it is. But I know it can be better, and I believe it can be better. And that's the hope that drives us all to keep going, to keep waking up in the morning, and to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

Sam Elliott (23:39)

Mm. You mentioned Sam Elliott's character, Shay. From the very first time we see the two of you on screen together, it feels like there's this incredibly rich history. It feels like the two of you have a relationship that's gone on for years. Will you talk about the process of finding that history together with Sam?

E (23:57)

Yeah. When I first met Sam, we were at the ranch. It was like a week into cowboy camp, and Sam spotted me at the saloon and, you know, sea of people, and he comes over, he puts his hands on my shoulders, like, man, we're gonna be great together. And any nerves I had about to work with Sam Elliott, all that went out the door. And we just embraced each other. We were inseparable. And that led into filming, and it just. It went amazing. And the characters, Thomas and Shay, they served together back in the Civil War. Like, he was a buffalo soldier. Shay was a captain. And when the war was over that they didn't really like what the Buffalo Soldiers assignments, their new responsibilities were. They didn't sign up for that. So they went right. You know, they took off. They became Pinkerton agents. And now the right hand knows what the left is doing with Thomas and Shea. Like, they could sit at a campfire for an hour or two and not say a word, but so much is said in silence with them two. Like, they just. They get each other. They're protective over each other, and they have a. It's an equal friendship, an equal relationship, and it's just. It's fun to play off Sam, but it's really nice to watch.

Sam Elliott (25:08)

It's also amazing. You're totally right that so much of their communication feels like it's nonverbal. You know, there's so many sort of quiet moments, both of extreme gravity, but also of humor between the Two of them. There's so many looks they share with each other that become these. You could really. A story told in a look there. Something I am really struck by with your performance that I think is remarkable. You spoke a minute ago about meeting Sam Elliott, this legend. Someone who I feel personally very intimidated by. But something I see in your performance is this incredible feeling of ease, of physical ease. You're obviously a very powerful physical presence. You're incredibly sort of physically powerful presence in these scenes. But you also have such an easy kind of minimalism. And that's an incredible gift as an actor to go back and forth between these extremes. Right. These gunfights, these huge, high pressure, tense moments, but still be able to find this sort of quiet breath that you find. That's a remarkable. I'm learning so much from watching you as an actor. I'm learning.

E (26:15)

Thank you. I appreciate that, man. I really do. Thank you.

Sam Elliott (26:18)

Because you have such. It's so hard. These are very. It's a lot of pressure. It's maybe the biggest television show ever made. You're surrounded by hundreds of crew, millions of dollars of filmmaking infrastructure. Me, I feel like all I ever feel on set is tension. I feel my body just freezing up feeling this tension. And it feels like something you guys have found together as a cast is you found this incredible ability to feel ease and comfort while there's a tremendous amount of pressure on you.

E (26:51)

Yeah. Sam has that way about him where he just. He's a calming presence in reality with everyone that's around us. There was a scene in the second episode where Thomas and Shay are trying to recruit a couple of cowboys. And they're sitting at the table with us and some of the background players. There was a woman, she was supposed to pour water in our glasses. And I don't know if she knew that ahead of time, but she was nervous. They told her on the spot, hey, can you fill them up? And you could see her hand was shaking like you're about to fill up Sam Elliott's cup.

Sam Elliott (27:25)

You know, that's me every day on set.

E (27:26)

Yeah. And her hand was shaking and it was like, you know, they said, action. And she came and she spilled it and it over. It came over and it was all over the table. And she was just. She was a mess. And Sam was like, can someone come, you know, clean this up? And it was like, all right, cool. Sam gets up. No one sees this but me. I'm kind of looking over, and he walks over to her and he embraces her and just tells her Something. And the biggest smile came over her face, steadied the hand. And every take she did after that, it was just solid, solid, solid. That was a great job. Great job. Sam has that effect with everybody, and that's Sam as the person. Thomas and Shay's relationship, the calm and the ease that they have. Shay can be a bit temperamental. He could be a hothead. He could be impulsive. Thomas is the cool, calm and collected. He balances Shay out. So. And he's the one that tells Shay straight, like, look, when you gotta have that friend in your life that you might not. You might not want to hear what they have to say, but it's the truth. And he tells them straight up. He tells them what it is, and they just. They bounce off each other. Well, like that.

Sam Elliott (28:33)

It's amazing to identify. Yes. That Sam Elliott is this incredibly professional, easy, cool, calm presence. And in some ways, it's your job to provide that for his character. Yeah, it's your job to say, steady out, his character. Thank you so, so, so much for taking the time to do this. I'm incredibly grateful. I've seen the first two episodes, and I think your journey, Thomas's journey, is the one I'm most looking forward to seeing more of. So thank you.

E (28:57)

I love that man. Thanks for having me. I appreciate it.

Sam Elliott (28:59)

Cheers.

Jefferson White (29:01)

I love talking to lamonica, getting the opportunity to know him and his work. He's incredible in 1883. One of my favorite characters on the show. Can't wait to see more when we get back. We're going to chat with my friend Eric Nelson.

Sam Elliott (29:15)

Today. I feel incredibly lucky, incredibly blessed to have with us in the studio Eric Nelson. Eric Nelson plays Innis on 1883. Eric has become a fast friend of mine, and I'm incredibly grateful for his time. So, Eric, thank you so much for being here.

Eric Nelson (29:29)

Oh, Jeff, thanks so much for having me, man. I couldn't be more grateful to be here with you especially. And it's kind of nice that we got to warm up a little before. It's not like we're meeting right now. Like, we've been able to hang out and actually work together and have some fun. So I couldn't be happier right now.

Sam Elliott (29:45)

And so you correct me if I'm wrong, you've been working on 1883. You're in the thick of it. How long now have you guys been shooting for?

Eric Nelson (29:53)

Well, the whole thing started in the very first week of August. Started with a cowboy camp before we jumped into filming, which I actually was at for Three weeks. I got to have an extra week before the rest of the cast got there. Just one on one with Taylor, which was incredible. And then the whole cast got there the next week, and we pumped it out for two more weeks and then started filming. I think that next Monday.

Sam Elliott (30:19)

So talk to me about this. This. This concept of cowboy camp is pretty familiar to me. Talk to me about your experience writing before the show and your experience writing now. What have you. What have you learned? What have you been working on?

Eric Nelson (30:33)

So it's funny because when I auditioned for the show, of course they were like, you know, writing skills is a big plus. You got to be. You know, we're looking for actors who can ride. So I was like, dude, been riding my whole life. You know, I got this in the bag, you know, just trust me. And I wasn't lying. Both my parents were into horses, and I grew up around them. But I think because they loved horses so much, it made me go a different direction. Cause I was like, well, I want my thing. And then. So I wasn't foreign to the whole riding, but I hadn't been riding my whole life. I rode as a kid a little bit, and that was about it. And then got the audition and busted my butt with a trainer. And literally. Yeah, yeah, literally sores red. But the whole thing, to make sure that I was on par for by the time I got to see Taylor. And I thought I was good by the time I saw Taylor. And the first day I get on a horse in front of Taylor, he's like, you're doing it all wrong. He's like, you're not. You got to post your trot. You got, you know, all these things. And so I'm like, I have a lot to learn still. Yeah. Wake up call.

Sam Elliott (31:37)

It feels like the more I learn, the more I realize, I don't know, you know, horsemanship, cowboying, that's kind of a lifelong pursuit. And it feels like the more you learn, the more there is to learn.

Eric Nelson (31:48)

Exactly. So he wasted no time. We rode all day, every day. And it's, you know, we're in the middle of the summer in Texas, so it's 110 degrees and we are outside and we are in pants. And at points he's like, you know, I want you to wear your show chaps. And the layers just kept coming on as it kept getting hotter. So I. Because I think he was really trying to mentally and physically prepare us for what was ahead filming wise. And it did just that. I mean, having had those. Those weeks with him and probably some of the best horse trainers and writers in the world with us every day was just the most incredible help an actor could have gotten to play a role like this on television. So by the time we started filming, at least in my own head, I felt like I was a seasoned cowboy. I just had to convince myself of that because of what was on the table.

Sam Elliott (32:46)

Yeah, and you're right. And so your character, Ennis, particularly Ennis, is hired. Ennis and Wade are hired by Sam Elliott's character, Shay, to basically handle the cows for this wagon train. Is that right?

Eric Nelson (32:57)

Yeah, exactly.

Sam Elliott (32:58)

So you guys, you basically are working with cows all day, every day.

Eric Nelson (33:02)

Yes, my scene partner is a cow. All day long. No, but, yeah, I mean, we are. I spend probably 90% of the show on a horse, maybe 70 or 80%, but a good amount of time on a horse and a good amount of time pushing cattle. And it's. You know, it's interesting because so much of what we do is personal connections with other actors and we're feeding off emotions. And, you know, there's so much of that for Ennis, but there's also so much time when it's just Ennis in nature or Ennis and, you know, horses and cows and, you know, just being in this environment, so being able to kind of keep grounded and settled and, you know, surrounding yourself with that was something I haven't gotten to do a lot as an actor in any other project. You know, the horses and the animals and the world we're in were just as big of a part as, you know, Tim McGraw and Sam Elliott.

Sam Elliott (34:06)

And that really feels almost unique to 1883 in the world of television, even, because they have created a humongous, epic story, like a story with almost impossible scale, with hundreds of horses, cows, this massive wagon train, a huge ensemble cast. The scale of the show, as I watch it, my breath is taken away over and over again by the scale of it. And you're right, that that has an incredibly immersive effect to a certain extent.

Eric Nelson (34:46)

Exactly.

Sam Elliott (34:46)

You can't help but be grounded in that reality because they've gone to such painstaking lengths to literally surround you with that reality. Will you talk about the sort of the immersive experience of working on the show, of shooting the show?

Eric Nelson (35:01)

I mean, it's unbelievable because whether you feel ready or not for it, you're in it, you know, when. And it makes you think how these people actually did this in the late 1800s with these huge wagon camps and the whole thing. And we're Crossing rivers and up and down mountains, and we're actually doing it on the show. I mean, when we've got wagons crossing through the Brazos river, that was done. We had to, on horseback, push cattle through these, you know, rivers. And there are days when the current is very strong, and there are days when the wind is insane. And, you know, you can't predict what's going to happen with Texas weather or Montana weather, to be honest. So a lot of that environment was just. It lended itself to be as real and authentic as it could be. Because when it looks like we're a hot mess in the water and can't get the cows to do what we want to do, and the wagons are tipping over and the chaos is happening, it's written that that's what's supposed to happen, but it's actually happening, you know, like, we couldn't act that if we wanted to. And that's what Taylor's gift is. It's. It's pulling out the authenticity. And it's there. I mean, you'll see some of the stuff that we had to do with these animals. It's. None of it is Hollywood ized in any way whatsoever. We were doing it.

Sam Elliott (36:26)

I think you're totally right. What Taylor's gift is kind of. I think of it as this contradiction. So it's that stuff. It's this huge immersive, authentication, mythic, epic world. And then it's these incredibly human, intimate, quiet, personal moments alongside that. And when I watch your work on the show, that feels like it really characterizes your performance, too. Right? So you're participating in these huge cattle drives. You're in this kind of mythic version of the West. But then also you have these quiet moments. You have these sort of quiet, personal moments. Will you talk about that? Will you talk about the contrast going from being on horseback surrounded by a hundred cows, to having these lovely, quiet, sort of romantic moments?

Eric Nelson (37:17)

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, it's the greatest gift as an actor, I feel like, to really be able to tap into every string of emotion in a journey. And that's what we were handed on a silver platter. And so to go from, you know, the big chaotic moments of pushing these cows and wagons and everything through the crazy current of a river to being one on one in a field, you know, with another actor, and just really having that intimacy, it makes it feel like I'm doing a different movie all the time. Like, you know, so oftentimes we get on shows and, you know, you're going to the Same studio every day. You're doing the same thing every day. And, you know, it almost becomes redundant at times. There is in no way for that to be possible in 1883 because of what you're saying, because of how drastically different scene from scene is, because of not only the atmosphere and, you know, the. Everything that comes along with that, but the way it's written and, you know, it's. It's just been incredible to be on that journey. And it keeps it fresh and it keeps you super focused and super on your toes and not really knowing what to expect, which in itself is an exciting thing as an actor.

Jefferson White (38:41)

And it feels like that really also.

Sam Elliott (38:43)

Characterizes the authentic west. Right? It's.

Eric Nelson (38:45)

It's 100%.

Sam Elliott (38:46)

It's incredibly sort of punishing, difficult, beautiful, like brutality work. And alongside that, it's these quiet, beautiful, still, silent moments, you know.

Eric Nelson (39:00)

And the cool thing about Taylor is he's not afraid to let the cameras roll, as I'm sure you've seen for a lot longer than I have even is. You know, he really likes those moments. And so there's. There's one point in one of the episodes, I guess I can't really say.

Sam Elliott (39:17)

But you can go ahead and say, and they can cut it if they need to.

Eric Nelson (39:20)

Okay. There's this point where Isabel, we write up on all these left goods of immigrants and travelers that couldn't take what they wanted to across the river. A piano, big luggage, anything that they couldn't physically get across because it would weigh them down or whatever. And one of the things left is this piano. And Isabel's character walks over to it and James, Landry, Hebert and I are kind of on our horses watching what is she doing? And she sits and plays Moonlight Sonata. And Isabelle, of course, memorized the entire thing perfectly. And it is a lot, I think it's like a five, six minute song. And she goes to Taylor and she's like, this is about a six minute piece. I know it, I can play. But, you know, for camera's sake and for the show's sake, should we just do like a couple seconds or 30 to a minute? And he's like, absolutely not. We're doing the entire thing. And I want this moment, the whole thing. And so we're sitting there watching her play this, and there's such a emotional heavy weight on it because she's playing this beautiful piece, knowing that once we cross that river, anything could happen. You know, life as we know it now is over. We're entering into a new territory of Unknown uncertainty. And honestly, you know, the moment we're over there, we are so much more vulnerable to the world. And so there's this heaviness to this beautiful song and he lets the whole thing go. And I just think it's such a powerful moment because all this craziness happening and then you just hear Moonlight Sonata and it's her playing. And James and I are doing everything in our power not to cry, bawling, listening to her do it. And so that's just one of those many moments in this show that like, really hit hard and to me was, you know, it just spoke volumes of the world that they were in and contrasting to it as well.

Sam Elliott (41:18)

So that really, I mean, it speaks to the sort of quiet, still, heartbreaking, kind of melancholic sort of nature of the west at times. There's obviously in the show heart pounding action sequences from the very first episode. The show starts out with a series of blistering action sequences. Some of my favorite action sequences I've ever seen on camera. And then there's sort of third character to a lot of this, which is that this what I think of as the sort of joy and comedy. Right. So I think of your work with James Landria Bear, who plays Wade. You guys have this rapport, right? You have this friendship, this relationship that can only really come from years spent together, just the two of you in a herd of cattle. So will you talk a little bit about developing that relationship with James, about the relationship between your characters Ennis and Wade and what that process was like as you guys work together almost every day?

Eric Nelson (42:17)

Absolutely. It's funny because, you know, we. It is such a heavy and Dark World. 1883 is an intense, you know, emotionally driven series. And when I first read the scripts and I'm reading through and I'm. It's funny. Originally I was up for the role of Wade, and so I taped for Wade and they wrote back within like 30 seconds. Oh, no, no, no. He's. He's Ennis. He's right for Redis. And so I did Ennis. And then once I really dove into the scripts with Ennis, who's, you know, I felt much more connected to anyway, I was like, okay, this guy is a beacon of light in all this crazy darkness this guy needs to bring. You know, if there's going to be some chuckles in this show, I think, you know, Ennis is the guy to do it or at least put a smile on your face throughout this craziness. And so James and I started developing a Great friendship throughout cowboy camp. And, you know, we are. The Ennis and Wade relationship is real, and it actually is James and I's relationship. We're so opposite, but yet pull the best qualities out of each other on and off screen. And so it worked so well. And I'm so blessed that I got him as a partner throughout most of this. And it just lended itself to these characters and to the rapport that they have throughout this series. And had we not had that opportunity in cowboy camp to get close and spend all day, every day with each other, I don't know if we would have found that as quickly as we did. But like you said it, you know, it. It's a nice uplifting feel throughout this show, I feel. And it's been a lot of fun to explore. And the funny part is Tim McGraw and I became super good friends, and he's so much of a goofball and a big brother and always doing pranks on me. And, like, really, you'll see throughout the series that I give him a lot of reasons to not necessarily like me or, you know, he plays the father, and as a father does, he's very protective of his daughter. And so it lends itself to a lot of friction between him and I. And he takes that on and off screen. He's so serious and intense and strong and grounded on the show, but in real life, he's so the opposite. I mean, he's strong and grounded, but he's just always, always trying to make people laugh. And, I mean, he would tip me off my chair, or he would, like, just, like, stare at me for 30 seconds before we film the scene, just to make me uncomfortable. But it's just funny to see how people can be completely opposite of their character. And that's a great example. But on the flip side, James and I are pretty similar to ours, and that carried on and off. So it could go either way.

Sam Elliott (45:03)

It's funny. I mean, and this show, like. I think another quality that Taylor has in his writing that feels like a particular gift he has is immediately quickly creating these relationships that feel like they're decades old, you know, so he puts these characters on screen that from the very first time you see them together, you understand their rich history. You understand sort of where they've come from and how much time they've spent together. And I think that's very evident with Innoc and Wade. It's very evident with lamonica Garrett and Sam Elliott's characters that the sort of history that they have together, I Think is immediately apparent the second you first see them on screen. And then also, you know, in the case of 1883, there's the incredible gift of Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, obviously being a family in real life. And you're obviously yourself a family man. Will you talk about, you know, family is one of the enduring themes of 18833 and of Yellowstone. Will you talk about, you know, things you've learned from filming, about what family means, things you've taken from your own personal life as a father and as a husband and brought to set? We just talk about that experience a little.

Eric Nelson (46:16)

Absolutely. Well, first and foremost, the fact that Tim and Faith get to do this together is just out of this world, I think, for the fans of them personally. And then, you know, what they bring to this show is they raise it to a level that I just blew me away from day one. And like you said, that that, that chemistry and that love and that that family that they already have just transcends and follows right onto our set. And that just, I mean, so smart for Taylor to do that. And it just worked so well. And as you know, a married man, myself, my wife is an actress. You. And she's actually here right now. Hi. That would be a dream come true, you know, to get to go on this journey with your spouse and just get to play these characters that are so unlike yourself, but yet you still get to use so much of your developed love and chemistry and relationship for each other on a show. And we've been fortunate enough to do that before, but not in this capacity on such a long running thing. But you can act and you can develop these characters enrichments. But if you can start with that already there and then get to that point, it's like, where do you go? You just keep going up as opposed to starting and getting there. But like you said, I think the way Taylor has developed these characters and what the text does without even us opening our mouths is bring it all the way up here before we even started. And so that's been such a gift to have it already laid out. When you, when you read these scripts, it's like you see the show, you see the movie, you see it before ever even opening your mouth. And that's been, you know, the greatest gift as far, as, you know, developing, you know, the relationships that we have in the show. And it's just made it that much easier. And it's kind of sad because now since I started the show, I've read a few other scripts that people have sent and I'm just like, oh, it's hard to read now. He's just has the bar so high. I'm just like, how can I not compare anything else to his right now?

Sam Elliott (48:41)

We get spoiled. Yeah. I think you're also right that it really has a lot to do with casting. And that also is an intro is another gift that Taylor has that David Glasser has, our executive producer and the John Papsidera. The casting office that that cast both 1883 and Yellowstone has is if you match the right person with the right part, a lot of the work is done for you. You know, And Eric, it's abundantly clear to me that you're the right person in the right part. And I'm so, so, so grateful to be your friend. I'm so, so grateful to get to know your work. I'm so excited to watch more of your work. I can't wait to see all your work on 1883 and beyond. So thank you again, brother, so much for being here.

Eric Nelson (49:17)

Thank you, thank you. This has been an absolute pleasure, my man, and look forward to seeing you tonight. And thanks for having me. You're killing it. Can't wait for next. Next. Well, I guess, I guess we'll both will premiere on Sunday, next week and you'll have another episode coming out next Sunday. So we're just gonna have a. Have to have a big party and watch them both.

Lamonica Garrett (49:38)

That's.

Sam Elliott (49:38)

That's right. Back to back. Cheers, brother. Thanks again.

Eric Nelson (49:40)

Thanks so much, Jeff.

Jefferson White (49:44)

This has been an incredible journey. I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to go through this with you to work on this podcast. I'm so grateful to the team at the WIN who have been so kind, so generous in accommodating us and making this whole thing possible. To everybody I got the chance to talk to. I'm so grateful for your time. You've taught me so much. You've taught me so much about acting, about filmmaking, and also just about life. So thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me and to those of you out there listening, you guys are the reason we get to do any of this. Yellowstone has obviously changed my life in so many ways and it's because of you. It's because of you guys that we get to keep making the stuff, that we get to keep having these incredible sort of life changing, once in a lifetime experiences. So thank you, thank you, thank you for listening to the podcast. If you want to hear more, if you're not sick of me yet, just let us know and we'll do our best to accommodate. The official Yellowstone Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you get your podcasts. The official Yellowstone Podcast is hosted by me, Jefferson White and produced by One on One Podcast Studios in Paramount Network. Thank you, thank you, thank you and good night.