For “1923” stars Julia Schlaepfer and Aminah Nieves, some of their biggest, most emotional scenes, came toward the end of the show’s run, as Taylor Sheridan’s expansive “Yellowstone” prequel series wrapped up after two thrilling seasons.
If you haven’t seen “1923” yet, you might want to tread lightly, as we are discussing details from the very end of the series — including the fate of the characters played by Schlaepfer (as Alexandra, a free-spirited British woman who falls in love with Brandon Sklenar’s Spencer Dutton) and Nieves (as Teonna Rainwater, a rebellious Apsáalooke who is on the run from dangerous forces in Season 2).
Schlaepfer’s big moment, unsurprisingly, is her character Alexandra’s reunion with Spencer. They had spent virtually the entire season apart and her character had gone through hell — including, but not limited to, some kindly strangers offering to drive her through a snowstorm to get to him only to freeze to death. (This is the tip of the iceberg.) They finally reconnect and it is perhaps the grandest, most sweeping moment in a series made up almost exclusively of grand, sweeping moments.
“We hadn’t seen her have an ounce of joy all season, so when that reunion scene came we were like, What is that going to be? We don’t want it to be cheesy. What is it? How do you portray that relief and love that she’s feeling,” Schlaepfer told TheWrap in a new installment of How I Did It, presented by Paramount+. “It was almost like a puzzle. Every day we needed to find a new level of pain or heartbreak.”
Nieves spoke about a quieter conclusion for her character that is just as powerful as the bigger moment between Alex and Spencer, which occurs towards the very end of the series. Teonna, having killed a tormenter in the first season, finally faces justice — and the judge just lets her go. It’s oddly fitting, since this is a character that was never allowed a moment’s peace (if there was peace, it was usually accompanied by violence or pain). But at the end she finds herself free — or at least adjacent to an approximation of freedom.
Incredibly, Nieves said, “That was one of the first scenes we ever shot. We did everything completely flipped,” Nieves said. “I was terrified. I wanted to make sure I was doing right for the community and I didn’t want to get anything wrong. To have that be the first scene to come back to was emotional. She’s been through so much.” There were also some practicalities she factored into the day. “We just bawled our eyes out and I tried to keep my hat down, because it kept flying off,” Nieves explained.
Nieves said she wanted her character to “leave with purpose.” She also teased an imagined future for her story. “Ultimately, I believe in my heart that Teonna in that moment, realized she’s never going to back down and she’s always going to do what she’s going to do for her people. We don’t know what she has on her horizon. She could be with child!”
“1923” is now streaming on Paramount+.
The post How ‘1923’ Stars Julia Schlaepfer and Aminah Nieves Found the Emotional Space for Their Big Finale Moments | How I Did It appeared first on TheWrap.