‘1923’ star James Badge Dale on Sunday’s shocking ending: ‘I Left Something In That Dirt’

SPOILERS WARNING! This story contains major plot points from Sunday’s episode of 1923 on Paramount+.

A thrilling shootout between Dutton’s crew and some local sheep owners came to a shocking conclusion on Sunday 1923, in which an important member of the famous farm received a fatal blow. That’s right, Taylor Sheridan fans: no one is safe from their fictional bullets, not even a beloved member of the Dutton family (we’ll never forget you, Dave Annabel’s Leo Dutton from the first season of yellowstone!)

Here, James Badge Dale – the most famous actor The ones who left us – talking about playing John Dutton Sr. for just three episodes and how he knew from the start his days were over 1923 wouldn’t last forever.

Reporter So is it an honor to be killed off in a Taylor Sheridan drama?

JAMES BADGE DALE I’m so glad I can finally talk about this because I did the whole press tour and they were like, “What’s the plot here?” And then I like this uh uh I had a good time. They told me very openly what they were looking for and what they needed. It was a pleasure to play the role of John Dutton Sr.

Reporter How was your audition?

SINK I would know [casting director] John Papsidera for about 20 years. He saw me in all kinds of ups and downs and left and right. He called and said, ‘Listen, I think you’re the man. can you make us a tape Taylor just needs to see it.” I used to work in North Carolina. I started walking around 6am and filmed a swamp with my iPhone. There were about three scenes and I rewrote everything in one scene and just hit it on my iPhone and in the swamp. I sent it to my agents and they said, ‘You can’t do that. All you hear are the bugs. You can’t send it.’ And I thought send it, send it. Taylor saw this and said: that’s my type

Reporter This season came together very quickly. Did it feel like it was going fast?

SINK They had already set the air date, so we came across it while we were filming in Montana and dealing with the elements. We had to deal with the wildfire season, which was particularly bad this year. And then of course winter came. We worked fast, but we worked safely and we tried to work smart.

Reporter What was your relationship with horses before?

SINK I’ve said it before. I was born in New York. There is a big difference between someone who grows up on a farm and someone who grows up on the subway. But Taylor hires good people and I’ve known these guys for years. The guys that coached us were from the same wrestling team that was on The Lone Ranger in 2013 [he played Dan Reid]. The guy who stood in for me on The Lone Ranger was one of Harrison Ford’s stuntmen. They are good people and they always bring good positive energy to work and they work safely. And I think that’s the most important thing when you work with animals. The animal is the focus of the set.

Reporter What do you think Taylor specifically wanted to achieve with your character? What was the purpose of your short life here?

SINK I think you hit the nail on the head with brevity because Taylor only gave me the first three scripts. I don’t know where it leads. My job was very specific and in my opinion, as John Dutton Sr dies, the younger brother must come home. It’s a very epic romantic idea how they plan to bring Spencer back here.

Reporter What was it like working with Harrison?

SINK You know, there aren’t many movie stars left. It’s him. He is nice. He is humble. He is the hardest working man there. We had fun riding together and I learned a lot from him. And we had a lot of fun. This is the key. We have 80-hour weeks. You must have fun. You have to get in there and you better enjoy it and you better show up prepared and you have to react hard to everything man.

Reporter How did it go, that death scene?

SINK It took us three days to record it. L: I told you that when you work with animals and shots, you need a certain energy. You really have to control your heartbeat and your fear because this animal feels everything. I was just so proud of this film crew and the stuntmen and how they handled it. It is not always easy. When I was in the mud, I thought, you know? I leave something in this filth. I’m leaving something here.”

Reporter Is there a chance you’ll come back as a ghost to haunt the family?

SINK If Taylor calls me tomorrow, I’ll say “okay.” I’m getting on the plane.’