ComingSoon Editor-in-Chief Tyler Treese spoke with 1923 star Brian Geraghty about playing Zane Davis in the Yellowstone prequel and the thrill of working with living legends such as Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren. The series premieres December 18 on Paramount+.
“1923, the next installment of the Dutton family origin story, will introduce a new generation of Duttons led by patriarch Jacob (Ford) and matriarch Cara (Mirren),” says the synopsis. “The series will explore the early twentieth century when pandemics, historic drought, the end of Prohibition, and the Great Depression all plague the mountain west, and the Duttons who call it home.”
Tyler Treese: I was really curious what your favorite aspect of starring in a period piece was because it had to be wild walking on set and being transported a hundred years in the past.
Brian Geraghty: Yeah, that’s a great question. So I absolutely love the period and the moment in time where, things are advancing quickly, and technological advances in terms of automobiles, I love that. I’d say my favorite aspect of this is the transportation by horse and, the ranch and the resources we had to use then. I mean, it’s been just so fun, you know?
How was it filming with the horses and getting to ride them? Did you have that experience beforehand?
So I had it before, but not in [this way]. Taylor Sheridan, my boss, is a real cowboy. So you’ve gotta really pony up, no pun intended, to really become proficient enough to know, or at least look like you know, what you’re doing. So that was really fun. But you know, they’re animals, so they have their temperaments, and some days they don’t wanna stand still, and other days they want to go back to the barn, and some days work out perfect.
So it’s a lot about management of that, but it just creates the whole environment and where we are. Montana is kind of like the fourth character of the show. There’s not a lot around there, and I think it really adds to it. Another thing is we all did a cowboy camp together, so it is really crucial for us to bond that way, really. I feel like it helped out our relationships in terms of the show, and there’s a lot of familiarity there.
You’ve worked with some amazing actors in the past, but how was it working with Harrison Ford? That’s a living legend.
It’s been just great. He’s so funny and he really cares still, like, still obviously he cares so much, and when it’s go time, we just go in there and he’s our lead. He really is our leader. Well, Helen [Mirren] as well. So it’s just been, it’s been like a dream come true, and Harrison has really…he’s made it great for us. He’s aware of who he is and he’s just fun.
He’s fun, and Helen is another, just a real dream. Helen has accomplished everything in our business from every medium, right? But she’s just there as an actor with you as a scene partner, and all that flies out the window. It’s just about getting the scene done and having it be the best possible version of that. So yeah, it really has been a dream to have those two lead us.
Yellowstone’s been taking the world by storm. How exciting is it to be joining this franchise and telling such an important part of the Dutton family history?
Fortunately, becoming part of the Yellowstone universe has been a real honor. However, I was unaware of the success of these shows, and how many viewers they had. And so, which is a good thing because then you pedastalize it and you’re like, “Oh God, I hope I’m good. I hope so.” So kind of like halfway through I went, “Whoa, man, you know, these people are like freak out over this stuff.” So it’s better to happen not going like, “I’m gonna be a new Marvel character.”
