Timothy Dalton Says Yellowstone 1923 Was A Nightmare
Timothy Dalton stated that filming Yellowstone 1923 was a "nightmare."
Led by Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren, the Yellowstone spin-off 1923 has been a hit among critics and audiences. The series has enjoyed glowing reviews and an early Season 2 renewal, but its achievements came at a price. In a piece from The New York Times, Timothy Dalton, who plays the show’s sinister Donald Whitfield, stated, “It was a nightmare…We are on top of a hill with a blasting wind coming at us…The cameras freeze up… Your toes freeze up.”
The cast and crew shot much of the series outdoors, spending 10-hour days in harsh winds and frigid temperatures. Timothy Dalton did not mince words about the realities of depicting ranching in Yellowstone.
Though Timothy Dalton lamented weather conditions on the Yellowstone prequel, 1923 director Ben Richardson praised the work ethic of the show’s leading man, Harrison Ford. “I’ve never had a complaint from him,” Richardson explained. “I can’t express how much of a team player he is — to the point that it’s shocking.
He’s Harrison Ford. He could be doing anything. I’m sure there are people who would prefer to have a double standing in. He did not.”
Ford and Mirren are legendary actors who have brought innumerable iconic roles to the big screen. In their latest and greatest small screen outing, the pair face off with another screen legend. Timothy Dalton wore the 007 moniker as James Bond in the late 1980s, but he has traded in heroism for villainy to portray one of the Yellowstone universe’s most dastardly antagonists.
Donald Whitfield is the latest opponent in the Dutton family’s fight to preserve their Montana ranch. The scope of the Duttons’ struggle against the likes of Timothy Dalton led Harrison Ford to describe the Yellowstone spin-off as “un-television.”
“It is, you know, a huge vista. It’s an incredibly ambitious story that he’s telling in epic scale,” Ford said. In an era of prestige television, the Yellowstone franchise’s sweeping landscapes and generational story make for one of the medium’s most cinematic endeavors to date.
It is unknown whether Timothy Dalton will return for the second season of the Yellowstone prequel, but the show’s writer has even bigger ambitions for the franchise.
Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan and Paramount+ have announced plans to expand the franchise further, reportedly ending the flagship show in favor of a project starring Matthew McConaughey. As the franchise tells its story over the course of 150 years, it is unclear whether the story of Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren, and Timothy Dalton will be affected by the shift in focus further down the Yellowstone timeline.
It is speculated that the decision to end Yellowstone, one of Paramount’s biggest series, came about largely due to disputes with the show’s lead actor, Kevin Costner. The actor’s distaste for the show’s long shooting schedules remains a prime suspect in the untimely end of the series. Whether McConaughey will take on the role of a hero like Harrison Ford or a villain like Timothy Dalton in the next chapter of the Yellowstone franchise remains a mystery.
Matthew McConaughey is no stranger to prestige television. The actor produced and starred in the acclaimed first season of HBO’s True Detective in 2014. The show has been lauded by many as one of the greatest seasons of television ever made.
McConaughey, a Texas native, might be a good fit for the Yellowstone spin-off 6666. The Texas ranch was introduced in the fourth season of Yellowstone, but little is known about the direction or cast of the upcoming series focused on the ranch. Whatever direction the show takes, its Texas setting will certainly be warmer than Montana.
As fans await the fate of the flagship series, there are still three episodes left of the epic showdown between Harrison Ford and Timothy Dalton in the Yellowstone prequel. The next episode of 1923 premieres on Paramount+ on February 12, 2023.
