Entertainment Icons Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren Talk Chemistry and Authenticity for Paramount+ Series 1923 In Emmy Magazine

Hollywood icons Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren star in 1923 (Paramount+), a part of Taylor Sheridan's expanding Yellowstone universe. With a second-season renewal confirmed, the actors and showrunner talk with emmy about the Montana-based production and the personal connections that ran throughout. The award-winning official publication of the Television Academy is on newsstands May 4.

To woo Ford and Mirren to play married Montana ranchers, Jacob and Cara Dutton, 1923 creator Sheridan invited each separately to his Texas ranch for wine, steak and conversation. However, no scripts had been written because the showrunner wanted to know who would play the characters first. "The way we were fitting that evening felt right ... I could trust the guy," Ford remembers. "To commit to something without reading, having no idea what the script's going to be, was a real jump into a dark pool, not knowing whether there was a bottom or not."

Both fans of Sheridan's work, the actors committed to 1923, which chronicles the Dutton ancestors' fight to keep their land against challenges from man and nature. In "Stone Grown," Mirren says, "I knew it was going to be physically pretty spectacular, but to walk on set and see the number of moving parts all hauled up to the top of a mountain, I was absolutely amazed." She likens the series to an American version of a Tolstoy novel, "It's this huge sweep of history but seen through the eyes of intimate family relationships."

Four-time Emmy winner Mirren is no stranger to television; but this is Ford's first scripted television role since the 1970s (he also stars in Shrinking that debuted on Apple TV+ only six weeks after the premiere of 1923), though Ford notes, "In our trade, there's no difference between television and film." The duo has played married partners before, in the 1986 film The Mosquito Coast. Ford remembers Mirren as a consummate professional and says he felt an emotional connection with her that came naturally. Mirren adds, "He's exactly the same person now, absolutely generous."

Both actors credit Sheridan for their resonant dialogue. "There's a music to [his words]," Ford says. "It offers dividends that you did not anticipate, a way to think. I wanted to make his words work." Mirren agrees. "Some writing, you don't want to change a word; and Taylor's fits into that category," she says. "Do it right, and it reveals a whole other side you haven't considered." When describing a scene in which Ford and Mirren's characters are merely getting dressed, Sheridan says, "It was like watching two heavyweight champions circle each other in the ring—two masters of their craft dancing together. [It was] riveting to witness."

Asked if there is more to learn as actors, Mirren and Ford agree that it's about a state of being rather than performing. "You have to learn to try not to act," Mirren says. "That's the endless battle." Ford adds, "It's the one that's worth fighting."

Additional feature highlights from the new issue include:

• In "Queen and Country," British actors India Ria Amarteifio and Corey Mylchreest talk with emmy about portraying King George III and Queen Charlotte for Shonda Rhimes's first Bridgerton spinoff, Queen Charlotte. The Netflix six-episode origin tale premieres May 4.
• Taron Egerton and Paul Walter Hauser, stars of the Apple TV+ drama Black Bird, talk with emmy about their natural rapport and strong bond in "Birds of a Feather." The six-episode series is inspired by the true story of a former high-school football star who exchanged a drug and weapons charge for his freedom, on the condition he elicited a confession from an accused serial killer.
• In "Magic Hour," Emmy-nominated actor Alexandra Daddario (White Lotus) talks with emmy about embracing her inner enchantress for Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches. In her first lead television role, Daddario plays a neurosurgeon who inherits a magical legacy in the AMC series that premiered in January.

About emmy
Emmy, the official publication of the Television Academy, goes behind the scenes of the industry for a unique insider's view. It showcases the scope of television and profiles the people who make TV happen, from the stars of top shows to the pros behind the cameras, covering programming trends and advances in technology. Honored consistently for excellence, emmy is a six-time Maggie Award winner as Best Trade Publication in Communications or the Arts and has collected 52 Maggies from the Western Publishing Association. Emmy is available on selected newsstands and at TelevisionAcademy.com for single print and digital copies as well as subscriptions.

Download the press release here.

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Stephanie Goodell
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