1923, the highly-anticipated Yellowstone prequel, hits Paramount+ this Sunday with plenty of buzz about its setting and characters. With an enviable cast led by Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren, the next entry into Taylor Sheridan's expanded universe is certain to build on the success experienced by last year's 1883. The new series is set 40 years after the death of James Dutton in the 1883 finale, and it opens with Dutton Ranch in the capable hands of his brother Jacob (Ford) and Jacob's wife Cara (Mirren).
Not all is well on the homefront, however, as 1923 is full of threats from outside and in that endanger the Dutton family's livelihood—and sometimes their lives too. The story primarily focuses on interactions between Dutton family members and the settlers of the surrounding land, as well as the Indigenous communities that have been displaced through colonization. Aminah Nieves plays Teonna Rainwater, a young Native woman trapped at a boarding school where the Catholic church ostensibly educates her to be more "civilized." Jennifer Ehle, meanwhile, plays her abusive teacher Sister Mary O'Connor in a role that elucidates the terrible treatment that went on in the early 20th century.
Screen Rant spoke to Nieves and Ehle about how the strained relationship between their characters in 1923 reflects the truth of abuses visited on Indigenous communities by Western settlers, as well as the importance of bringing such stories to light.
Aminah Nieves & Jennifer Ehle Talk 1923
Screen Rant: Were either of you fans of Yellowstone when 1923 started?
Jennifer Ehle: I didn't know about Yellowstone. I think we were the only two people in America who didn't know, sorry! But now I'm a huge fan; I've seen everything.
When we are introduced to your characters, you are separate from the main Dutton Ranch storyline. Can you talk about this animosity and yet understanding in your scenes together? Jennifer, how does Sister Mary feel about Teonna?
Jennifer Ehle: Sister Mary is a person who believes, as the people who were running these residential schools actually did believe, that you had to "kill the Indian to save the man." You had to force assimilation; you had to remove all cultural identity from these children who had been removed forcibly from their families and were living in isolation.
It also was the people teaching, like my character of Sister Mary, [that were] living in an abusive situation. The understanding that our characters have is about that level of abuse, but it does not affect our very complicated relationship.
It is a very tough situation, especially for your character, Aminah. Can you talk about representing the indigenous side of this conflict in your story and Teonna trying to preserve her cultural identity?
Aminah Nieves: Yeah, it's hard. But being indigenous, it's our duty to tell our stories and to tell them as strongly, quickly, and powerfully as we can. It's what we're born into, and we're storytellers from the jump. You know what I'm saying? Continuing to tell our story as honestly as we can is very important.
About 1923
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). 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.
Check out our other 1923 interviews here:
1923 premieres December 18 on Paramount+.