1923 season 2, episode 4 featured a surgery that may win the competition of most disturbing scene in the Yellowstone franchise, and actor Brian Geraghty had way more fun filming than fans may have had watching it. As Jacob’s loyal ranch hand Zane was getting his scalp drilled into, I was crossing fingers and toes that he would make it out alive – and was pleasantly surprised to find him walking, talking, and swearing vengeance by the episode’s end.

It was a welcome bright spot in an otherwise dark season, and one that heralded a change of fortunes for the Dutton ranch. After taking a number of beatings (both physical and metaphorical) from Donald Whitfield and Banner Creighton, and bearing the brunt of Winter in isolation and suffering, they are finally getting back to fighting form for the Spring. Elizabeth is pregnant after her heartbreaking miscarriage, Spencer and Alexandra are closer to Montana than ever, and Zane is ready to go after the villains who plot to take their land.

ScreenRant interviewed Geraghty about his work in 1923 season 2, episode 4 – especially how he prepared for the excruciating drilling sequence. The actor shared how costar Harrison Ford lifted his spirits throughout the day, explained Zane’s emotional journey throughout his surgery and miraculous convalescence, and teased the “satisfaction” fans will derive from the final episodes.

Zane’s Surgery Scene In 1923 Took A Long Time (And A Prosthetic Head) To Prepare
“How The Hell Are We Going To Do This?”

The idea of having one’s head carved into is never a pleasant one, even when reading about a fictional interpretation of the event. Geraghty described his reaction to Zane’s ordeal when reading the script for episode 4: “The first thing I said was, ‘How the hell are we going to do this?’” The answer, of course, was with plenty of patience, prosthetics, and a perfectly timed good luck kiss from Harrison Ford.

Filming for season 2 began in July 2024, but even before that, Geraghty visited Jason Hamer’s special effects studio in Los Angeles to build a prosthetic head for the graphic drilling scene. The actor praised the team, explaining that, “My hair was a different color from my beard because I was surfing, but they were able to match it so well that when they saw it on set, everyone was like, ‘This is the best special effects I’ve ever seen.’”

The head was so realistic that Ford gave it “a little good luck kiss to make sure that we’re going to get through the day,” Geraghty added. After that, it was a matter of doing his homework on the decade’s medicine. “We did a bit of research on what this would’ve been like, what the symptoms are, and had a little bit of faith in the movie magic.” Though the team knew viewers would have questions about realism, they decided to forge ahead. “Let’s have faith that this is the way it went, and let’s just do how it’s written.”

What happens if we take away your superpower in life?

“I just had fun with the operation, to be honest with you,” the actor concluded. But how much fun could Zane as a character be having when he wakes up with a hole in his head mid-procedure? Geraghty walked through the emotional journey of the episode. “The moment I wake up was scripted, and then it was really about how quickly Zane adjusts,” he revealed. The physical pressure in Zane’s head is an echo of the emotional burden he has been feeling, and Geraghty explained his thought process very poetically.

Zane’s wondering, ‘Am I going to be able to be a father, a husband, and the foreman of the ranch? Those are the most important things to me in life. What happens if we take away your superpower in life? What do you have? “If I’m not an actor, who am I? If I’m not a surfer, I’m not a husband, I’m not a brother, I’m not a father – who am I?” That was the most important thing.

Zane’s Loyalty To Jacob Is Mirrored By Brian Geraghty’s Admiration For Harrison Ford
“He’s A Great Actor Who’s Trying To Make The Scene The Best It Can Be”

By the end of the episode, Zane has pulled himself together and recovered from his ordeal, but charting the trajectory was still “emotional and overwhelming,” according to Geraghty. “He has some vulnerable moments before he ultimately realizes he’s going to be okay. I wanted to really do some work and feel what that was going to be like.” Once again, Ford was a wonderful shoulder to lean up, and Geraghty revealed that he was “really pushing to make the scene great and really being supportive, knowing that it’s a lot of hard and specific pieces we have to fit together.”

Darren Mann, who plays Jacob and Cara’s nephew Jack, was also present on set. “Darren being there also made it better,” the actor added. “Darren and I are buddies, and we have a great time working together.” But perhaps the bigger surprise is that Ford can act like a buddy with the younger actors. “Harrison’s fun once you get past the point of just thinking that you’re working with Harrison Ford,” Geraghty gushed. “He just becomes a fun, great actor who’s trying to really make the scene and your work the best it can be.”

Geraghty’s enthusiasm about working with Ford is as heartwarming as Zane’s unabating loyalty to Jacob, regardless of the suffering he has endured. His gung-ho Cowboy in a Western mentality returns when he asks his boss, “Are we going after them for what they’ve done to us?” in a shift that the actor feels is perfectly justified by their history. “Zane always worked for Jacob, but once Jacob extended himself, even before this whole debacle, he knew that Jacob would always protect him.”

I think he’s indebted to Jacob for defending his marriage. Jacob’s like, “I don’t care. She’s a human being to me, regardless of color or race.” I think that was really the crux of it. And I think he saved Zane from some legal trouble earlier, which no one’s ever done for him. To be honest, that was what I came up with even last season to have it be specific and personal.

What To Expect From The Remaining 1923 Season 2 Episodes
“There’ll Be A Lot Of Satisfaction In The Last Couple Of Episodes”

𝑭𝒂𝒏𝒑𝒂𝒈𝒆 & 𝑾𝒆𝒃𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒆: 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐬.𝙞𝒏𝙛𝒐

As rich and satisfying in character development and emotional turmoil as I find each 1923 episode to be, I am not deaf to the cries of fans wishing the action would speed up a little. Halfway through season 2, the Duttons are no closer to taking on their enemies than at the end of season 1. But as Winter turns to Spring, so too does hope grow into certainty, and Geraghty had some words of comfort for those still waiting for the grand showdown.

Defeating Whitfield “is going to take everything we got and then some,” but Geraghty emphasized that Spencer Dutton is the wild card everyone’s waiting on. “Having Spencer will definitely be an asset, but will he make it back? I think that’s what it takes. I don’t think it takes an army to defeat them.” Spencer is the prophesied hero for the ranch, but first, he has to survive his long and arduous journey home. “I definitely think it’s worth watching,” Zane’s actor teased.

There’ll be a lot of satisfaction in the last couple of episodes for the audience. At least, there was for me as a reader [of the script]. I actually love the journey for Alex and Spencer. It’s really interesting, and I love the historical aspect of Alex coming in through Ellis Island and Spencer going through Galveston. All the historical bits, like the brain drain drill and the skiing, I love that it’s peppered in there.

In the meantime, Zane may get a few more precious moments with his wife Alice before dedicating himself full-time to the fight. “We’ll see a little bit more of them,” Geraghty offered cautiously. “But it also just shifts because there are so many characters. It shifts back to, ‘What’s the task at hand once we’ve gotten over this obstacle?’ As we say, that’s one calamity down, what’s next? It’s just a show of fires, and how we put out those fires, really. ‘Where’s the fire? Okay, we put it out, so let’s move on to the next fire.’”

𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 “𝑭𝒂𝒏𝒑𝒂𝒈𝒆 & 𝑾𝒆𝒃𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒆: 𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠𝑛𝑒𝑤𝑠.𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑜” 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧-𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐡 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐞𝐬

1923 will soon end, but that won’t be the last we see of the Yellowstone franchise. Whether or not Zane survives long enough to appear in 1944, creator Taylor Sheridan is known to repeat actors throughout his television universe. Michelle Randolph, who plays Elizabeth Dutton, also Ainsley Norris in Sheridan’s most recent show Landman. So, where would Geraghty like to appear next? “My wife, Genesis Rodriguez, is on Lioness. That’s a show that I’d really love to be on,” he admitted enthusiastically.

He explained that he began watching once Rodriguez auditioned for the show, and his praise for the project was strong. “Zoe Saldaña’s just amazing, and so are Nicole Kidman and Michael Kelly. That’s a show I really love.” But like any good cowboy, Geraghty is ready to report for duty wherever he is needed. “If good ol’ cousin Taylor calls, we’re open. We love Taylor, and he’s been great to us.”

For Geraghty, being in 1923 “is like an acting class every day” with Ford and Helen Mirren – not to mention a Western class. “A big part of this was learning how to be a cowboy and ride horses, and I still feel like I have years to go to become the cowboy that I want.” He’s absolutely ready to get on the horse should Sheridan need him at any other ranch, though. “It really does help to immerse yourself in the culture and actually know that you can ride in the scene.”

𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 “𝑭𝒂𝒏𝒑𝒂𝒈𝒆 & 𝑾𝒆𝒃𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒆: 𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠𝑛𝑒𝑤𝑠.𝑖𝑛𝑓𝑜” 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧-𝐝𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐡 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐞𝐬