Of all the spin-offs and prequel series Yellowstone has spawned, 1923 might as well be rated the best one to date, and its critical 90% score on RT perfectly justifies that. To say the least, it gave the incredibly talented Aminah Nieves her chance to make her breakthrough in the entertainment industry as the Indigenous student cum prisoner Teonna Rainwater.
However, as much acclaim and fame as this life-changing role brought her, it was almost turned down by the actress in the first place. The reason behind it was rather understandable too, as she felt that the role and the weight it carried was a bit too heavy for her. But then one realization dawned on her at the perfect moment, not only saving her epic performance but her career as well.
Aminah Nieves originally almost turned down 1923
As iconic as her performance is in the series, Aminah Nieves didn’t always intend to be a part of the Sheridan verse right from the start. In fact, she wasn’t even aware of the star-studded universe that the mastermind cowboy Taylor Sheridan had built from scratch and only got to know about it through her agents when the casting call for 1923 came around.
During an interview with Deadline, the actress confessed the same, saying, “I was not aware of the Taylor Sheridan universe before. It happens the way it always happens, you get it through your team.” Thus, when she was presented with the chance to read for Teonna Rainwater, who went on to become her character in the series, Nieves was hesitant.
I read it and was emailing my manager like, “I don’t know man. I don’t know if I should do this. It’s just heavy and triggering.” My manager was so supportive and said, “You know what? I support anything you do so whatever decision you make is a good one.”
In the show, Rainwater is brought about as a young Indigenous student who is also a prisoner at a Catholic boarding school in Montana in the 1920s. As the show depicted, this church tried to assimilate Indigenous youth into European American culture, dehumanizing them in the process.
Nieves, in the role of the character, gave a perfectly unsettling yet beautiful performance in the role. But her impeccable portrayal, which even granted her a breakthrough in the entertainment industry, wouldn’t have made its way to the screens had it not been for her getting one epiphany. And the credit for the same goes to none other than her own mother.
The epiphany that made Aminah Nieves change her mind
While she was confused, Aminah Nieves sought out the help of her mother, who served as her reader for all of her roles. This was followed by a lengthy discussion between the two, which ended with her mother bringing her to the realization of just why taking this role on was so important: It would help bring attention to all the Indigenous people around the world.
As Nieves continued to share during the same interview:
My mom is my reader for everything. We talked about it a lot. I did the audition the day it was due because I waited so long. I was scared. My mom was like, “Aminah, you have to do this, not just for you, it’s for us. It’s for our communities and for all indigenous peoples across the world.”
That was that, and as soon as she realized how massive of an impact her taking on the role of Teonna Rainwater would bring, Aminah Nieves hopped on board the Sheridanverse through the respective Yellowstone prequel television series.
The rest, as fans already know, is pretty much history as, despite the heavy weight of carrying the role, the actress managed to give one of her finest performances and will soon be reprising the role in the soon-to-be-premiered second season of the series.
