EXCLUSIVE: Isabel May Opens Up About Faith Hill and her New Show, 1883
Isabel May portrays the oldest child in the Dutton family, Elsa, in the newest show to join the Taylor Sheridan universe, 1883. A prequel to Sheridan’s hit show, Yellowstone, the first two episodes of the series premiered yesterday, December 19 on Paramount+.
We got the chance to talk to May about her character, how she feels having Faith Hill play her mom, playing a strong female character, and so much more. Check out what she had to say below.
Elsa brings such a unique perspective to 1883 as an independent young woman who can see everything without a jaded past. Can you talk a little bit about that and what it was like bringing that to life?
“Taylor [Sheridan] told me about the character and gave me some sense of what to expect. But then I remember when he sent the first episode and it really dawned on me who he was creating and what I would be able to portray. That was kind of mind boggling because I don’t think I’ve ever heard or seen a young woman portrayed like this at this time in such a way. I mean, it’s truly remarkable. And not only that, but just the fact that she’s speaking poetry over this rather horrifying, brutal experience, because that journey was so treacherous. She never loses sight of the beauty of everything around her that she’s so captivated by. And so that juxtaposition, that contrast is just really unique and a joy to play.”
Faith Hill plays your mother, Margaret. what’s it like having her as your mom and what’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned from her?
“It’s probably my favorite part of being a part of this project. This woman is one of the loveliest human beings. She’s so poised and generous and compassionate, I truly love her. It’s hard not to fall in love with her. And the way that she carries herself and interacts with others has truly been such an incredible learning experience for me just to observe. It’s something that I will carry with me, for sure. And my interactions with others in the future.
There’s a reason why everyone loves Faith across the board. People came up to me before I started the project, before I even met her and said, ‘Please tell her I said hi. Please tell her-‘ Eventually I was like, ‘Okay, what is with this woman? Like why is everyone telling me-‘. And I get it now.”
You can read the rest of our chat under the jump. If you missed the first two episodes of 1883, they are streaming on Paramount+ NOW!
Photo credit: Emerson Miller/Paramount+
You play such a strong women, and during a time period where we don’t really see a lot of strong women portrayed, do you feel a lot of pressure knowing that you’re portraying characters that we don’t often see on television or film?
“I didn’t feel any pressure. Because the thing is it’s not often portrayed, but I did some research and I read some journals of young women who had a similar journey. And there’s so few accounts, real true, honest accounts of that experience from the perspective of a woman of that time, especially a young woman. And they were real darn tough. It’s a very true, honest thing. It’s not like we’re trying to portray a woman of that time in a different light. Which is what I love. I was greatly honored to portray someone like that, but not pressured to, because I also feel like we’re pretty darn tough. And any cowboy will tell you that a cowgirl is tougher.”
Can you talk about the challenges of doing something this big and then how it has been rewarding on the other side of it.
“I just sunk into it. And I’m just experiencing it along with the character. It’s strange how things just kind of happen the way that it’s meant to. I know I’m supposed to play this character. I know I’m supposed to be here with Faith right now and I’m just staying present. It’s bigger than anything that I’ve done, but it’s still as intimate as anything else. I know it’s a big budget. There’s a lot going on. But at the end of the day, we just walk on a set and we’re looking into each other’s eyes and that’s all that matters. Same thing you do with anything else.