Interview: Brandon Sklenar Discusses Joining ‘1923’ and Creating the Character of Spencer Dutton

The Yellowstone universe spans multiple series, generations, and even centuries with the newest season of 1923 from creator Taylor Sheridan. Starring Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren, and Brandon Sklenar, the Dutton family faces a new set of challenges in 1920’s America including Western expansion, Prohibition, and the Great Depression. 

Away from the Dutton ranch and facing his own perilous challenges is Spencer Dutton (Brandon Sklenar) who is navigating Sub-Saharan Africa while hunting dangerous predators. During my interview with Sklenar, he discusses how his character fits into the Yellowstone universe and what it took to grapple with Spencer’s backstory that informs who he is and what he is hoping to achieve. Spencer’s journey takes place away from his family, and Sklenar discusses this impact on his experience filming the show.

In terms of building out the character, when I first read the script prior to testing for the role, I could feel in the words that there’s this Dutton soul, the energy and way of talking, and how all these Dutton men move throughout the world and how they handle conflict and how they handle themselves. I could feel it immediately off the page, so I knew that’s where Spencer had to live. He’s been through a tremendous amount of trauma from age six onward in the war, and then the trauma he’s experienced as a big game hunter and almost dying on a weekly basis, plus the alcoholism. So, there’s a lot of stuff to layer in there.

Watch to my full interview with 1923 star Brandon Sklenar below.