When Taylor Sheridan dared to venture off the Dutton ranch with a brand new “Yellowstone” spin-off, he did so by focusing on the first journey it took to get there. “1883” was the limited series that saw where the Dutton family tree took root and it just so happened to come with its own train station. Starring Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, and Sam Elliott (who originally trashed “Yellowstone”) as its core cast, one of the most important names on the list was Isabel May as Elsa Dutton. A voice that hovers throughout not just “1883” but decades later in “Yellowstone,” May’s performance runs through the entire Dutton timeline. For Sheridan, she was essential to the gritty and unforgiving spin-off that, according to him, simply wouldn’t work without her.
Strangely, the meeting between Sheridan and May began away from Dutton land when she auditioned for a role in “Mayor of Kingstown.” Eyeing the part of Iris on the show, the job instead went to Emma Laird, but it wasn’t a problem seeing as Sheridan had other plans. “When I met Isabel, the whole story, all 10 episodes, went right through my head,” he explained to Wide Open Country. “I called Paramount and said, ‘I’m going to sit down and start writing but I need to hire the lead, the female lead, who’s a complete unknown, right now, before I start writing. Because it won’t work if we don’t get her.’”
Taylor Sheridan saw the hope that 1883 needed in Isabel May
As far as chapters of “Yellowstone” history go, “1883” is certainly a dark one. By the end of the show, James Dutton (McGraw) has suffered great loss and other families have endured some horrific ordeals. May’s Elsa was a beacon at the center of it all and the ray of light that carries on shining even after her passing. In fact, so impactful was her character’s exit that Tim McGraw was left a blubbering mess as a result. That emotional wallop was only thanks to Sheridan and the character he’d molded for the Dutton’s first chapter. “I saw she could represent innocence and hope, and I called Paramount and said, ‘I got good news, and then, I got some you-need-to-trust-me news.’” recalled Sheridan. “At this point, I had not figured out how to tell this story and I had Sam Elliott over here and I had Tim McGraw here and Faith Hill, and I had not found the bridge between them all.”
From there, May was appointed the task and did so brilliantly. Perhaps becoming one of the most charismatic and best members of the entire Dutton dynasty from past and present, May’s Elsa Dutton struck such a chord so effectively that when her voice is heard in “Yellowstone” it sparks an undeniable hair-raising reaction. Bleak as her time on the show might have been, there’s no doubt that May brought a little bit of hope where it was absolutely needed.
