Fans of Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone are waiting with bated breath to find out what’s next for our beloved cowboy drama and the Dutton family story we’ve become deeply intertwined with over the last five years. Yellowstone has become more than a television series; it’s a pop culture phenomenon, a lifestyle, and a moment that’s bringing people of all ages, circumstances, and backgrounds together.
Speaking of together, the goddesses that carry the realm of Yellowstone are opening up about the good, the bad, and the dirty that surrounds them when they’re filming these iconic television shows, and it’s a refreshing conversation. Coming together for PEOPLE’s 2023 Beautiful Issue, the women of Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowverse came together to talk about all things Dutton, power, romance, and even poo.
That’s right; they’re opening up about being covered in cow droppings for days after filming some scenes, and they take it like total champions.
Jen Landon, who breathes life into Teeter in the cowboy drama, joked that the interview gave her a reason to shower and put on make-up for the first time in four years. When you’re working day in and day out on a series about life at the ranch, a beauty routine isn’t at the top of your priority list.
“At the end of some days, it’s like, what’s the point? Because you were in cow poo poo all day and you’re going to be in cow poo poo the next day. There were days when we were literally covered in s— from head to toe.”
Of course, it’s not all dirt and grime; Teeter even got to have a sweet cuddle with a pink “bar” her beau won for her at the local fair. While she’s very much a ranch hand and hard worker, Teeter is also a character that’s incredibly easy to love, and we just can’t get enough of her. Landon also loves playing her in all of her feral glory.
“She doesn’t really have boundaries. She’s really animal. I kind of love it.”
Julia Schlaepfer breathes life into Alexandra in Yellowstone spinoff 1923, and she spent most of her time filming in Africa, with not a lot of reason to dress up or get glamorous. So during the few scenes when she got to, it was an experience she treasured.
“We are so dirty at the end of every filming day, but it is the greatest feeling in the world. I’m used to being very dirty and soaking wet and riding horses, so it’s so much fun to get all glammed up and dressed up. To put on these beautiful clothes and feel confident and feel sexy is such a nice switch up and something I don’t do every day.”
Becoming Alexandra also helped Schlaepfer in her personal life, allowing her space to embrace a self-confidence she wasn’t keyed into before.
“My character is definitely more consistently confident in herself, which forced me in a very beautiful way to embrace that side of me. She wore her heart on her sleeve and she’s so outgoing and vibrant and doesn’t care what anybody thinks about her. It was really nice for me to have to embrace that side of myself.”
Showrunner Taylor Sheridan has been transparent about writing characters specifically for actors and actresses, and that is very true in the case of Piper Perabo, who has been a polarizing character to say the least during her time at the Yellowstone.
“I was arrested for civil disobedience protesting the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court and I told Taylor that story, so that he wrote an activist character, which for me was really exciting. I had never really crossed those two loves before.”
Not every aspect of Summer translates to Perabo, however. A crux of Summer’s persona and argumentative nature with John Dutton’s daughter, Beth, is the fact that she’s vegan and brings it up every time they sit down at the table for dinner. Those dinner table conversations are already very tense for Beth, and Summer bringing up that anything Gator makes for dinner won’t work for her is enough to drive her up a wall.
Going back to the balance between glamming it up and being covered in cow poo poo, there are days when emotions are so heavy, and the hurt is so big that the actors and actresses almost need a cleanse from them as well, as Kelsey Asbille, who plays Monica Dutton, explains.
“There’s usually dirt and blood involved. Those are heavy days, and because she’s really going through it there is a physical and emotional cleanse.”
A cleanse of a different type is also necessary for 1923‘s Aminah Nieves, who plays Teonna Rainwater and has spoken openly about the heaviness that she feels in telling the emotionally charged storyline that her character experiences. It’s raw and vulnerable, but it’s also beautiful in how she exudes the strength required to allow viewers to see themselves and their families in her story.
“It’s a dream come true being able to do this and tell stories… It’s because it’s so true and honest. And I think Taylor and all of the talent and crew, everyone involved in the universe doesn’t hold back. You can see that. It shines through through the work, and you can’t help but be pulled to honesty.”
Fans understand the need for a cleanse regarding Yellowstone, and many will tell you that our own emotions run extremely high when we’re watching the scenes where the Duttons have their backs against a wall, when we’re watching Rip and Beth fall further in love, and when we see John in quiet, vulnerable moments — wondering what his wife in heaven thinks of all they’ve done now. We’ve seen so much love between the characters we adore and so much pain and heartache, too; it’s the reason that fans of Yellowstone see it as more than just a viewing experience — it’s elevated in all the right ways.
You can stream 1883 and 1923 on Paramount Plus now and tune into the first four seasons of Yellowstone streaming on Peacock. Here’s to the strong women that tell the Dutton story; may they continue to grace us with their brilliance for seasons to come.