Julia Schlaepfer feels ‘lucky’ that she got to work with both Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren on season 2 of Taylor Sheridan‘s Yellowstone prequel 1923.
“I was so lucky in season 2 because we all kind of worked in the same city,” she exclusively tells Closer of the opportunity. “So I got to see them around all the time and they, I mean, they’re just the best.”
“You hope and dream that legends like that are, you know, what you want them to be,” she says. “And they exceeded all expectations and really led our cast in such a humble, beautiful way. And then they’re just cool. They’re just really cool. So we all had the best time and I feel so lucky to have gotten to work on the same shows as them.”
Season 2 of 1923 premiered on February 23 and will consist of eight episodes following the story of the Duttons as they face challenges brought on by Western expansion, Prohibition and the onset of the Great Depression along with a cruel winter. The season premiere has already brought plenty of drama, answers to burning questions and major plot twists.
As for what sets 1923 apart from other Yellowstone spinoff series, Julia said that the ’20s are “just so cool and lively.”
“We got to travel the world with the show, which is so epic and sweeping and I think pairs with the love story of Spencer and Alex so beautifully,” she says. “Also, it’s the beginning of, you know, so many technological advances, which is fun.”
Julia also teased some details fans might notice during season 2 that are new for the characters.
“In Montana in this season you’ll see a lot of that and, you know, telephones in homes for the first time and things are really changing during this period in the world in a way that feels epic,” the Politician alum reflects. “A bit scary and a bit glamorous, you know, it’s got it all going on.”
Harrison, for his part, said that portraying patriarch Jacob Dutton was nothing but a positive experience for him.
“I love the viscerality of it, I love the physical nature of the storytelling, I love being in natural circumstances,” he said of working on the project in the Western genre during a February 20 interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
The Star Wars icon said that working on 1923 reminded him of “a kind of old-fashioned movie-making mostly, no CGI or very little CGI — a little something to sweeten the location. But it’s really essential, old-time storytelling and I love working with this kind of material.”
Harrison, 82, also said that he is a big fan of his costars and enjoys watching the show to see their performances. “I sure like seeing everybody else,” the Shrinking actor told the outlet.
1923 also stars Brandon Sklenar, Jerome Flynn, Darren Mann, Brian Geraghty, Aminah Nieves, Michelle Randolph, Sebastian Roché, Timothy Dalton and Jennifer Carpenter.
1923 is streaming on Paramount+, with new season 2 episodes dropping weekly on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET.
