James Badge Dale Rides the Range as John Dutton Sr. in ‘Yellowstone’ Prequel ‘1923’

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The next installment of Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone universe will take us back to 1923 to follow another origin story of the Dutton family. There are a lot of Johns in this ancestry tale, plus we’ve got James, Jack and Jacob, so buckle up, pay attention and get ready for an unforgettable ride.

The multiseason 1923 drama is just as epic in scope and story as its predecessor 1883, which followed James Dutton (Tim McGraw) and his wife Margaret (Faith Hill), along with their two children Elsa and John Dutton Sr. as they traveled west in search of a better life. Here we fast-forward 40 years, where we find the little boy we met in 1883 all grown up and with a family of his own. Stepping into the role as John Dutton Sr. is James Badge Dale (The Pacific). Now in Yellowstone timing, Dale’s character would be Kevin Costner’s character’s great-grandfather.

While on a short break from filming in Montana — and trick or treating with his 10-month-old (we talked on Halloween) — Dale shared what he could on the new series, the star power behind it (Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren!), and his horse named Dale (Yes, Dale! Just like his last name!).

How are we first introduced to your character in 1923?
James Badge Dale: I play John Dutton Sr., and I guess you will be introduced to him at the same time you’re introduced to Jacob Dutton, played by Harrison Ford. And you’re going to find us dirty, in the middle of a drought, covered with locusts and dealing with a dying cattle herd. And we’re looking for water, and we’re looking for some grass to feed the herd.

So they took no time to immerse you in the mud and all that gross stuff?
Right away. We go right into it, but that’s why you do a Western. You don’t do a Western to stay clean. You want to get out there and get your hands dirty and work with the animals and experience this kind of camaraderie that I think all these men and women have when they work outside like that.

Where’s your character’s moral compass when it comes to protecting his land, his family and seeking that better life in Montana?
I found John to be in an interesting circumstance, kind of bridging the gap between Jacob and his son, Jack Dutton. Whereas Jacob has lived a certain life and has a very specific viewpoint, I find that John’s a little bit in the middle. And I think he can go one way or the other. I think when you grow up around that, it’s not as shocking. But what I enjoy playing with as an actor is watching my son Jack — who’s played by Darren Mann (a phenomenal actor) — trying to figure out where his moral compass is. I think John is more worried about his son’s moral compass than he is about his own.

Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren star as Jacob and Cara Dutton. What is their relationship to your character?
John is Jacob’s nephew, and he’s working as the right-hand man on the ranch. I think Jacob and Cara have raised him up, and they have this familiar family working relationship that we all developed on set. … Harrison and Helen are just two incredible people, and they’re two incredible professionals. And they’re tough. They show up to work, embracing the dirt and the grit and embracing the darkness and the light of Taylor’s storytelling. And they love their job, and they love to act. Every take is special.

Taylor Sheridan’s cowboy camp for actors is well known now. You’ve played The Lone Ranger (2013) already, so how would you rate your riding, roping and wrangling these days?
I’m from New York City. I grew up riding the subway. So, I mean, if you tell any cowboy that, I think they understand where my ride is. But we have a joke that I’m kind of like the Top 10 out of New York City actors. The guys who trained us here for 1923, it’s a familiar group of wranglers that I worked with 10 years ago on The Lone Ranger. For The Lone Ranger, they brought me in for six weeks of cowboy camp because I had zero experience, and they caught me up to speed. This time, I’m working with a lot of familiar faces. … I’ve hung out with guys who can really ride. I’ve hung out with guys who can really rope. And when you hang out with people who know how to really do it, you realize that you can’t do it. You’re just an actor. … I think that’s one of the brilliant things that Taylor Sheridan has done here, he’s brought in really the best out of the best. You’re working with some of the best animal wrangling teams and stunt guys.

And your horse?
They gave me a horse named Dale. And I was like, “Are you kidding me? Dale? My last name’s Dale. All right.” Me and Dale, we’re getting along. Dale was like fifth gear only. Dale was on point. Just a wonderful horse to ride. I thought they were messing with me, but I had a gem of a horse this time.

Taylor Sheridan has created these beautiful, authentic stories and the cinematography is simply epic in proportion for television. Is it similar to what we saw in 1883?
There was a day I was sitting there and the sun was setting, and I mean, I’m just riding with Harrison every day. I got to see how grateful he was, how present he is, how he talks when he shows up to work, about how lucky he is to be here. He shows up to work and takes risks, and he’s the first one there. I’m struggling to keep up to be on time with this guy. But we were driving a thousand head of cattle up to the top of a ridge on a mountain in Montana. And we’d just drive it up at sunset, drive them all the way up, and we’d shoot it. We got five cameras going at the same time. And then we bring them back down, and we turn them around, and we ride them back up to the top of the mountain. And the director comes to us, Ben Richardson, he says, “I think that’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever shot.” There’s these surreal moments that you have as filmmakers, where you look around and you’re having this once-in-a-lifetime experience, and then you realize that we’re all filming it. And there’s no photograph that you could take in that moment that would ever match what you’re seeing filming.

1923 premieres Sunday, Dec. 18, at 9pm ET/PT on Paramount Network and Paramount+. The second episode will air on Paramount Network Jan. 1 with the remaining episodes only being available on Paramount+.