EXCLUSIVE: Tim McGraw Talks his Wife, Faith Hill & his New Show, 1883
The prequel to Taylor Sheridan’s hit show, Yellowstone, 1883 premiered on Paramount+ this past Sunday, December 19. To celebrate the two-episode premiere, we sat down with one of the stars of the show, actor and GRAMMY winner, Tim McGraw.
During our chat with the actor, we talked him working with his wife, Faith Hill, this being his first leading role, the difficulties he faced creating a prequel to a hit series, his character James, and so much more. Check out what he had to saw below.
On how he would describe James Dutton’s relationship with the women: “For me, I have three daughters and a wife, and I grew up with a mom and two sisters. So it’s pretty natural for me, relationships with women. But I think there’s a ton of respect that James has for the women in his life. And I think that there’s a ton of trust and he leans on them very hard for the strength that he has.”
On working with his wife Faith Hill: “Faith’s character Margaret, is the backbone of the family, as she is in real life for our family. She is the strength and the backbone and without her, our universe falls apart. And I think that that’s the same thing with Margaret. And working with Faith is incredible. I can’t imagine spending five months, working six days a week, 12 hours a day, not being able to see my wife every day, and not being able to go home with her every day. And that’s something I’m really grateful for. And I’ve learned a lot from her as an actor as well.”
On potentially working with Faith again on another project: “I would love nothing better than for us to be able to do some movies together and do some shows together. I really enjoy working with her and because she’s my, not only because she’s my wife, but because she’s so talented, when anytime you’re in a scene with her, or you’re on set with her, it makes you sort of step your game up a bit. Much like when we tour together or do a record together. I mean, she gives me that look sometimes where, when we’re touring together and I know that my harmony part is a little off and I get that look across the stage from her. It puts me right back straight because I don’t want to have to, I know I’m going to hear it when I get off stage.
So same thing with acting with her. If she knows that I’m not in the moment and in the place that I need to be, all she has to do is give me a look and I know, okay, I need to get on the ball. But she’s just such a pro and she’s such a light. And for everybody on the set, I mean, she’s like mom to everybody on the set. I mean, she just, she cares so much about people. And I think that comes across in her character, certainly in her personality, but it comes across to everybody who works with her.”
The next new episode of 1883 will premiere on Paramount+ this coming Sunday, December 26.
Photo Cr: Emerson Miller/Paramount+
On James’ relationship with his daughter, Elsa: “I think that the light of his life is his daughter. For him, she means everything to him and not unlike me and my girls. I think he sees all the possibilities that he had or could have had in his life, he sees in his daughter. And I think that that’s what he tries to push her towards just the strength and possibilities that she has, that he wished that he could have had. Because he’s struggling. In my opinion, James is struggling through a lot of PTSD, which nobody knew about back then. From the trauma that he went through during the Civil War, the Reconstructioning. I think the whole reason he wanted to get out of Tennessee and out of the south was he wanted to find an untainted place for his daughter to grow up.”
On whether or not knowing about the events in Yellowstone dictates the way he feels about James and the family: “It doesn’t. I don’t think that it changed any way that I approached this character, and I’m a huge Yellowstone fan. Faith and I have been Yellowstone fans from the very first night of the very first episode. When we watched it, we were hooked on it and have been ever since. But I don’t think that it dictated anything; it more than anything else, I think that when you watch this show, and it’s all because of Taylor’s writing, when you watch this show, I think you can get a better understanding of what the Dutton family in Yellowstone, where their drive comes from. Where their passion comes from. Where their love of family comes from. Where their, a little bit of their wild craziness comes from. You sort of get that when you see the show. And another thing is, I think you don’t have to watch Yellowstone in order to watch the show. I think the show stands on its on. However, I do think that if you’re a huge Yellowstone fan, you’ll love this show. And if you haven’t watched Yellowstone and you watch this show, then you will want to watch Yellowstone to see the continuation of the story.”
On what song he has recorded that best portrays his character: “That’s a tough one. Right off the bat, ‘Cowboy in Me,’ would be one that comes to mind. And a, ‘Real Good Man.’ That would be the two that come to mind. But James is a complex character and there’s many layers to him. And I think James, me playing James, and James himself, I think doesn’t quite understand himself in a lot of ways. And he’s constantly trying to figure out who he is and why he does the things that he does. Other than he is driven by the love of his family and the survival of his family.”
On how his past roles influence his portrayal of James: “First of all, they taught me how to hit my marks. But it’s always a learning process. And for me, everything that I do, I try to really soak up and learn from. And so I’ve carried all those things with me along the way and tried to remember the things I’ve done wrong, the things I’ve done right, the things that have worked, the things that haven’t worked, and carry all those things with me in every project that I do. Whether it be music or acting. However, I do think in this process, I’ve learned more and progressed more as an actor than I have with all the other movies put together, no disrespect to anything that I’ve done, because I’ve worked with some great people and done some great movies, but this process is because it’s such a grueling process, and you’re in it every single day.”
On what he has learned from his cast mates: “With this being a period piece, it makes a big difference in your mindset. I think that I’ve learned so much doing this and with the actors that I’m working on. I mean, look, I get to work with Sam Elliot. So anytime you’re in a scene with Sam Elliot, if you’re not paying attention and learning something from that guy, then you need to go home because he’s one of the best there is. So I think they’ve all prepared me in certain ways by taking the good from the things that I’ve done, but more importantly, taking the bad from the things that I’ve done and knowing what not to do as you move further. But being immersed in this world six days a week, 12 hours a day, for five months, it’s the best learning curve I’ve ever been on.”
On whether James’ struggle with PTSD will cause conflict for him moving forward: “I think he doesn’t think of it as conflict with the people that he was fighting with because in my mind, I don’t think James really wanted anything to do with that war. I think that like most people, he was forced into it in a lot of ways. This is just my personal take on the backstory of James. I think that he didn’t believe in the calls. He didn’t think that it was worthy, and he was forced into it, and he had to do it. And then when he goes into battle and he’s the captain and he loses a thousand men in one battle, that had a profound effect on him. I think that that’s something that’s drives him. Something that is a turning point for him in the middle of this show, and I can’t give too much away, but I think it’s something that turned, it’s a turning point in him to where he, you understand that he cares deeply about the people he’s traveling with. Not only his family, but he cares deeply about the people, even though he doesn’t show it sometimes, he really cares. That’s why he steps up and raises his hand to be the leader and to try to help as much as he can.”
On the most challenging and least challenging parts about bringing this show to life: “It was a big undertaking. I think the elements probably. I mean from Texas in the heat, 110 degrees shooting 12, 14 hours. In the first episode, you can see it was 110 degrees when we shot for 8, 9, 10 hours that day with the wagons, when the bad guys were chasing me and I’m shooting those guys, you can see me get on the wagon and my pants are soaking wet. That’s how hot it was. So I think the elements were the toughest part of it. The easiest part were the actors. It’s such an ensemble show. I mean, nobody’s really the star of the show. I mean, there’s five or six people who carry this show, but from the smallest role with the pioneers and the immigrants, to the biggest roles, everybody is supportive of each other, and everybody has become friends, and everybody brings their A game every day that they show up because we don’t want to let each other down. And when you have that, it’s much like a championship football team. You don’t want to let your partner down. And I think that that’s what’s so incredible about this show and these actors.”
On the surprise cameo in the second episode: “Tom, and Rita, and Faith, and I have been friends for almost 25 years and we, I mean, really good friends. So we spent a lot of time together. So when I read the script and read the second episode, I just had an idea and I called Thomas, said, ‘what do you think about showing up for this cameo to do this show?’ I said, ‘Faith and I are doing this show. It’s our first really big parts and trying to carry something, we’re doing it together.’ And he goes, ‘Tell me when, tell me where, and I’ll be there.’ And it was just that simple. And he showed up. He showed up and got in hair and they stayed with us for a couple of days before we shot. But the morning that we shot, we separated from each other.
And I didn’t see, because he didn’t want to see me because I’m in hair and makeup and a whole different sort of look than I am the whole show, and I didn’t want to see him. And so the first time I actually see him is when he walks up to me in the scene. Because we intentionally did that on purpose. And it just, when I fell apart, emotionally, part of that was certainly the scene and the devastation that was in front of me, and losing all my men, certainly. And for calls that I didn’t believe in. But to know that my friend, one of my best friends, showed up and he is there with me. And when he grabs my shoulder, it just made me fall apart because we’ve tried to do stuff together over the years and the timing never worked out. So to have him there in that moment and there to support us for a big project was pretty special. And that shows you what kind of guy Tom Hanks is.”
*This interview has been edited for length and clarity