Brandon Sklenar And Julia Schlaepfer On Their Epic ‘1923’ Love Story

With season two of Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone origin series 1923 premiering February 23 on Paramount+, audiences will have the chance to continue to witness more of the captivating, yet turbulent, love story between fan-favorite characters Spencer Dutton and Alexandra.

Played by the actors Brandon Sklenar and Julia Schlaepfer, the characters met by chance in season one, facing plenty of opposition and several hurdles along the way, but all the while – never questioning their intense love and devotion for one another. This season on 1923, Spencer and Alexandra will have to endure new roadblocks on their separate journeys, as they strive to reunite amidst the unfathomable hardships that are soon placed within their paths.

I sat down these two rising Hollywood stars, wondering first what it is about this television love story and filming alongside one another that has made their on-screen chemistry so convincing for us 1923 viewers.

Schlaepfer said, “I think what’s so special about it, and I think why people have taken to it, is because I feel like we are a world so inundated with technology right now and people are having a hard time connecting anymore. I think what’s so special about them is they saw each other, they had a conversation, they recognized that there was something incredibly electric and special, and they were like – Alright, we’re going – we’re doing it. They dove in and I think it’s a type of love that’s rare to find nowadays, and I think it’s inspiring.”

She added: “Brandon and I, it was funny – it was our first kind of big lead roles, leading the storyline together, and we were out in the middle of nowhere in Africa. We only had each other. We were getting food poisoning all the time and we had each other to rely on, and I think it really helped that we were just out there trying to create something that we felt really passionate about.”

Sklenar gives much of the credit to 1923 show creator and writer, Sheridan. “He gets it, you know? It’s this representation of that crazy love that you can’t explain – like opposites attract. On paper, we shouldn’t get along and we shouldn’t work. She kind of feels something in him and he feels something in her, and I don’t even think they know what that is and they don’t need to know what it is. They just know how they feel when they’re with each other and that is something that everybody can relate to and everybody wants, and hopefully, everybody has and has had. It’s such a beautiful beautiful thing, and Julia and I just got really lucky that we had great chemistry. We got on really well and we both understood what Taylor was going for in the tone. We just had a great time working together.”

With 1923 also starring Hollywood titans like Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren, one of season two’s major story arcs is to somehow find a way of getting Spencer and Alexandra to the Dutton family’s Montana ranch, after being informed of the greedy and dangerous individuals that are putting their hard-earned home and livelihoods in jeopardy.

So, as actors, what do Sklenar and Schlaepfer continue to enjoy most about getting to keep playing their Spencer and Alexandra characters?

Sklenar said of Spencer, “He’s just like a hyper-masculine, old school dude, but with such a big heart. He just cares about people and if he sees someone in need, he can’t not help. He’s a very selfless man, in that respect. He has a lot of humanity and he’s noble, and I think we need more characters like that.”

Schlaepfer said of Alexandra, “I know that people love seeing them together, but she doesn’t have Spencer to save the day and she has to dig so deep – deeper than I think she ever thought was possible – to make sure that she gets to where she needs to go, and that’s Montana – that’s Bozeman. She will do anything to make it there and that was a really fun level of her to find in this season.”

After making a lasting impression over these two seasons, I was curious if either of these actors have ever received a 1923 story arc or a line delivery in the script, that did not exactly feel right to how their characters would ultimately behave or react.

Schlaepfer said, “I was really lucky with Taylor, in general. I mean, he’s wonderful, but this season, he called me before he had started writing. I think episode three, he was about to create her entire arc. He called me and he said, ‘Hey, this is what I want to do with her. It’s going to be really challenging. It’s going to challenge you as an actor and a person. Are you in?’ And I was like – Yeah, let’s do it, like – let’s go. And so, he really made sure that I was onboard, which I’m so grateful for, because it is a really tumultuous journey and a lot of sensitive topics, but he wanted to make sure that I felt aligned with that story for her. I did and I feel so grateful to be able to tell it.”

Sklenar said of Sheridan’s writing, “To be completely honest with you, I have not had a single moment like that with anything that he has written. I mean, everything is exactly as it is. Every word I say in this show is exactly as it is on the page. Every single thing that comes out of my mouth – nothing’s changed, nothing’s dropped, nothing’s edited. This is such a good writer. There’s no reason to change anything.”

As I began to conclude our 1923 conversation, I wondered what Sklenar and Schlaepfer would say to their characters, Spencer and Alexandra, after embodying their journey thus far on the Paramount+ series, if only they could.

Sklenar said with Spencer in mind, “Oh wow! I would just tell him good job – you’re doing great and be a little easier on yourself. He puts a lot of weight on himself and he carries a lot of that. I mean, I can relate to that. I would just tell him – you’re doing great, dude. Just try and take it easy. You’re a stand-up guy.”

Schlaepfer said with Alexandra in mind, “Gosh! You know, I would just tell her she’s got this. I don’t know if she needs my advice. I actually feel like I take advice from her. The whole season, I was inspired by the way that she lives and the way that she fights for what she loves. It’s such a beautiful thing. She follows her happiness, and ever since I started this show, I’m like – That’s what I need to be doing. It’s changed so much of the way that I live my life. So listen, that girl’s got it! She’s on top of it. I’m taking notes from her at this point.”