Isabel May (Alexa & Kate, Young Sheldon) stars as Elsa Dutton in the Yellowstone prequel series 1883. According to an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, May wasn’t expecting her performance to resonate so strongly with audiences.
“It didn’t feel like an explosion for me, at least,” she said. “I don’t really participate in social media. But I think what’s telling is when you are at a grocery store and you bump into someone and they look at your face, and you know they recognize you, and then their eyes fill up with tears. I don’t get recognized very often but when I do it’s that; it’s very emotional.”
May also discussed her struggle with bronchitis while filming.” Yeah, it was awful,” she said. “I was on steroids. It was a little bit funny, just that we got to the tail-end of filming and we were so concerned about getting COVID. There were COVID restrictions and everyone was being so conscientious and careful. Of all things, to get bronchitis. They thought that maybe I had a lung infection and I didn’t want to go to the hospital because COVID rates had spiked, so they took me across the street to the horse veterinarian and they did X-rays on my lungs. And it was fine, my lungs were great. But the visual of that giant X-ray machine was an odd experience.”
Another aspect of filming May discussed was having the series creator and director, Taylor Sheridan (Hell Or High Water, Wind River), on set. “It was wonderful. It was great. His direction is so interesting. He doesn’t tell you what to do. He’ll go, ‘You know this feeling?… I’m going to describe a memory to you of something that I experienced; soak it in and feel it.’ And that’s his direction. It’s so delightful and unique. So of course I felt very lucky that I got to be with him in that environment and with everyone else. [Co-EPs and directors] Ben Richardson and Christina Voros; they work with him frequently. They are just incredible; the whole team is remarkable.”
The entire season of 1883 is streaming on Paramount+.