The moment every 1923 fan has been waiting for has finally arrived. In this week’s episode, Father Renaud (Sebastian Roché) finally catches up with Teonna Rainwater (Aminah Nieves). After killing her father, Runs His Horse (Michael Spears), Renaud offers Rainwater redemption and salvation at gun point. When Rainwater refuses, Renaud pulls the trigger, only to discover there are no bullets left in the chamber. Rainwater then smashes the embers of her campfire into Renaud’s face, stabs him with her blade and then finishes him off with her father’s gun.
“I knew Renaud was going to die eventually,” said Roché. “I loved the fact that he had to go through this six-episode odyssey to meet his demise at the hand of Teonna.” After being somewhat sheltered from the outside world while serving as headmaster of the North Dakota Boarding School for Native Americans, the French Catholic priest was not prepared for the brutality he witnessed when he joined the despicable Marshall Kent (Jamie McShane) to search for Teonna. “The outside world destroys him psychologically,” said Roché. “He goes through a slow descent into hell as he realizes how ungodly has actions have been.”
A character like Renaud was a gift for Roché, one that he has writer/creator Taylor Sheridan to thank for. “He’s one of the greatest writers that we have,” said Roché. Roché also appreciates the “depth he puts into his characters,” noting that “even Taylor’s most horrifying characters are complex.” Renaud’s fanaticism is the root of some of the series most disturbing moments. “An obsessive and extremist person like that will eventually go crazy when he doesn’t fulfill what he believes is his destiny,” said Roché simply.
Roché spoke to DECIDER during a virtual press day to discuss Renaud’s fate, the reason that Renaud killed Marshall Kent, and how Sheridan delivered on a promise to him that he made at the end of Season 1.
DECIDER: Father Renaud’s time has come! What was your reaction to reading the script?
SEBASTIAN ROCHÉ: It was one of admiration. I thought to myself, “this is a fitting ending to this character’s journey.” I knew Renaud was going to die eventually [laughs]. He had to! I loved the fact that he had to go through this six-episode odyssey to meet his demise at the hand of Teonna. The death scene really fulfilled all my expectations. I’m over the moon with the way it transpired.
I love that Taylor Sheridan treats his villains with the same care that he gives his heroes.
He’s one of the greatest writers that we have. I love the depth and complexity he puts into his characters. It’s extraordinary. I remember after we wrapped Season 1, Taylor came up to me, looked me in the eye, and told me: “Just wait till Season 2. It’s going to be amazing for you.”
To this day, he’s the only writer, showrunner, creator who’s kept his word in my experience. Renaud was taken out of the rigid culture of the residential school and thrust into the wilderness. The outside world destroys him psychologically. Renaud’s richness as a character was just a blessing for me.
Father Renaud saw cruelty and inflicted cruelty on students at the school. However, Marshall Kent’s brutal actions seemed to shock and disorient him. How did that experience with Kent change him?
Renaud suddenly sees someone who is his equal in evil. Whenever you’re confronted with a mirror, you have to be affected. That’s why the two men don’t get along. Renault understands that there is a bit too much of himself in Marshall Kent. It’s fascinating to see Renaud be affected so much. He goes through a slow descent into hell as he realizes how ungodly his actions have been. That realization is why he eventually kills Kent.
I found these two antagonistic figures fascinating. In Season 2, Marshall Kent becomes the primary antagonist while Father Renaud is observing and commenting. Renaud is affected by the situation, the heat, the exhaustion, and his unwavering obsession with Teonna. I truly believe that he’s going crazy. An obsessive and extremist person like that will eventually go crazy when he doesn’t fulfill what he believes is his destiny.
Kudos to you and Taylor Sheridan for making me feel some semblance of sympathy for Renaud in Season 2.
Taylor creates characters that you can’t really put your finger on, even though you hate them. There’s a side of them that always surprises you. That’s the mark of a great artist. Even Taylor’s most horrifying characters are complex. I like to find out where their trauma comes from and delve into it. I invented a past life for my Renaud. I imagined that he was probably abused as a kid. That he was sent to Devil’s Island in French Guiana because he committed a crime and then decided to become a priest. He bought into the extremism of his religion and his malevolent trajectory began then.
Before Father Renaud kills Marshall Kent, he tells him: “All this death you make, and we are no closer to justice.” What does justice mean to Father Renaud? Is it punishing Teonna for killing the two sisters? Is it offering her salvation and redemption?
Justice is finding Teonna Rainwater and making her pay for what she did. But does making her pay for what she did mean killing her or absolving her of her sins so she can find salvation? I think his ultimate goal is to find salvation through Teonna Rainwater so that he can absolve himself of his crimes. Marshall Kent is a means to an end. He needs Marshall Kent to find her because Renaud is not a tracker. Eventually, Renaud becomes this wild animal during his search for Teonna.
“All this death you make, and we are no closer to justice” is such a contradiction. There is such duality in him. He is obsessed with this one task: to find the young woman who rose up against him and the Lord and to save her soul. I do think that Renaud admires Teonna a bit and forms a sort of obsessive love for her that I find fascinating.
Aminah is so, so powerful during her final confrontation with Father Renaud when they are arguing about salvation.What was it like to film that sequence ?
We didn’t do much rehearsing because we were so locked into the text. My acting teacher always said that the great author whispers his secrets to your ears, and I have to admit that that’s what happened in that scene. Aminah and I are such good friends that we were in tandem emotionally throughout the whole process. Our director Ben also gave us some amazing guidance.
The moment Teonna rejects Renaud is extraordinary. I really worked hard to project stupefaction. Renaud is astounded that Teonna can resist him. We did 4 or 5 takes all together, I think. It was one of those moments that you wait for as an actor, a moment when you completely lose yourself in a character. We were all happy with the result.
If Teonna had accepted his offer to “save her soul,” I don’t think Renaud would have pulled the trigger.
That sentence to me is crazy. “I’m trying to save your soul!” [Laughs] He is so full of ego and extremism. Because he can’t “save her soul,” she has to die. When the gun doesn’t go off, he is stupefied but almost satisfied as well. Renaud gets his baptism by fire through Teonna. I love that Renaud’s death is so barbaric. He deserves that [laughs]. They do something beautiful with the lighting that makes my face almost shimmering when I arrive at Rainwater’s camp. Then, the light on my fae slowly, slowly dims. The lighting surely adds to the dramatic intensity of the scene.
It is rare on a TV series for actors to work with one writer and one director throughout. What was Ben Richardson like as a consistent collaborator?
We block shot, which means we did all of our scenes in a month and a half. We were shooting every day, which really helped us to stay in character. Nobody was flying in or out to film their scenes. We really become a family. I worked with Ben in Season 1, so I already had the utmost confidence in his technical ability and his ability to direct actors. He knows the script inside out. Sometimes you do need the director to whisper his secrets into your ear.
The collaboration with Ben was really important to me. The trust among the director, the cast, and the crew was primordial and such a gift. I was able to relax into the text and into the character on set. This was the best experience I’ve had as an actor in my 40-year career. I’m serious.
Now that your journey with 1923 is over, is there another show in the SheridanVerse that you would like to appear in?
I’d love to play cowboy [laughs]. I wish I could have been a part of Yellowstone. I know there are spinoffs in the works in various stages. I love Lioness and Landman too. Taylor’s also doing 1944. I could see myself as a resistance fighter or a British officer. I am British, and I am French. I love a good period piece. So, if Taylor needs me, I’ll be happy to answer his call.
