Normally, when actors and actresses audition or are pitched a role for a project, they’re usually given basic information about the character to get an idea of who they’re playing. This was not the case for Helen Mirren after it was revealed that she received little to no information about her role in 1923.
During her appearance at Deadline’s Contenders Television panel last weekend, the actress revealed that she “wasn’t given a script” and was straight-up asked if they want to be involved in the Yellowstone prequel. According to Deadline, Mirren stated that the show’s creator, Taylor Sheridan “likes to build his characters around the actors,” hence why no script was provided when she was asked if she’d like to be in the show. The same can be said of her co-star, Harrison Ford.
“For the first time in my life, I wasn’t given a script. I had no idea what it was going to be, and likewise for Harrison [Ford]. We were asked to participate, and you do what you do as an actor and say, ‘Lovely, sounds really interesting. I’d love to read the script?’ But there is no script. Taylor likes to write for the people that he knows are going to play the role.
Mirren revealed that this type of casting made her nervous since she’s never met the show’s creator in person. She thought that her invitation to star in the show would be revoked after the two meet. Fortunately, this was not the case, and the two collaborated in creating Cara Dutton. An example was the inclusion of Cara’s “Irish accent,” and how it helped bring the character to life from the amazing writing that’s on the page.
That was a combination of flattering and at the same time sort of rather nerve-wracking because I’d actually never met Taylor Sheridan and maybe when he meets me, he won’t want to write for me.
“The Irish thing is something I added personally. I thought about how when you see Westerns, you don’t see enough people with accents even though they were all recent immigrants. … Apart from that, honestly, it’s amazing writing, and what’s on the page, it arrives and it’s kind of perfect. It’s extraordinary.”
Mirren has been very vocal about her role in 1923 and how she enjoyed her time in the show. She has shared what she believed the show was about, and what it was like working with Ford once more in this TV series. At the moment, season two for the series has not yet been confirmed, since season one ended back in February. So, if you’re hankering for more Mirren in this Western drama, your only option is to re-binge all episodes of 1923 on Paramount Plus.