Harrison Ford Opens Up on What Drew Him to 1923: ‘That Was the Bait’

Acclaimed veteran actor and 1923 star Harrison Ford recently revealed why he signed on for the Taylor Sheridan Yellowstone prequel series. Ford stars alongside Helen Mirren in the show that debuted its second season this week.

While addressing if 1923 had been pitched to him as a two-season story and if that plan had changed, Ford recalled one of the major reasons he decided to board the project. “I think everybody (laughs) remembers different parts of this story,” he said to The Hollywood Reporter. “For instance, I thought that I was told that Helen had already signed on, so that was the bait [for me], and she was told that I was signed on,” Ford continued, with Mirren, who was also present, good-humoredly declaring, “I’m the carrot!”

Helen Mirren as Cara Dutton and Harrison Ford as Jacob Dutton from 1923

The 1923 actor also explained that they had no initial scripts when they signed on but had complete faith in the show’s creator, Sheridan. “We had no scripts, really, but we had our personal experience with Taylor Sheridan and our knowledge of what he had done in the past,” Ford said. “This is a guy with incredible ambition, but it doesn’t have that kind of unctuous feel that ambition has. It’s just that he knows what he wants. He has a clear idea of how to get there, and there’s no bullsh*t in the way, just straightforward storytelling. Powerful, imaginative storytelling. The depth of his understanding of the characters he’s writing and the gift of these scripts is the pleasure of the process.”

Powerful, imaginative storytelling.

Ford also praised his other 1923 collaborators and their contribution to bringing the show’s world to life. “And the people we’re working with are extraordinarily talented, our director, Ben Richardson, and his group,” he continued. “It’s fitting into this vast, powerful machinery fueled by a really rich energy source, which is the understanding of this period of time and the value of knowing it and remembering it to face the contingencies of our current lives.”

1923’s Second Season

Paramount+’s synopsis for1923‘s eight-episode second season reads, “A cruel winter brings new challenges and unfinished business to Jacob and Cara back at Dutton ranch. With harsh conditions and adversaries threatening to end the Dutton legacy, Spencer embarks on an arduous journey home, racing against time to save his family in Montana. Meanwhile, Alexandra sets off on her own harrowing trans-Atlantic journey to find Spencer and reclaim their love.”

Set decades before the events in Yellowstone, 1923‘s first season introduces Ford and Mirren as Jacob and Carra Dutton, who try to run their ranch in the very early days of the Great Depression. Alongside Ford and Mirren, the series stars Brandon Sklenar, Aminah Nieves, Julia Schlaepfer, Brian Geraghty, Sebastian Roche, Jennifer Ehle, Marley Shelton, Jerome Flynn, Michelle Randolph, and Robert Patrick.

1923 Season 2 streaming on Paramount+.