In the Yellowstone prequel 1923, Brandon Sklenar plays Spencer Dutton. The youngest son of Margaret and James, Spencer, lives in Africa as a hunter for hire. He also deals with PTSD from his time fighting in WWI. While filming the series, Sklenar kept personal family momentos with him that are over a century old.
Cara Dutton wrote Spencer letters while he served in WWI
Spencer Dutton’s time serving in WWI greatly affected his character in 1923. After the war ended, he decided to work in Africa as a hunter for hire. Spencer continues to be plagued by nightmares of the war and PTSD.
After meeting his fiance Alexandra, Spencer revealed that he never opened the letters that his aunt Cara wrote him. Letters from home gave men hope of a life after the war, and Spencer believes that this hope caused many men to wind up dead.
Once the war ended, Spencer continued to ignore the letters out of guilt and the knowledge that his family back home could never understand what he had endured. Finally, he and Alexandra open them and learn that his brother John has died.
Brandon Sklenar kept these moments while filming ‘1923’
1923 is a period piece that takes place shortly after the end of WWI. During the first World War, letters were one of the only ways soldiers could stay in touch with their loved ones. 1923 star Brandon Sklenar appreciates many things about the time period this series takes place.
“I’ve always had an affinity for the ’20s, just in general,” the actor told The Wrap. “My great-grandfather fought in World War I, and I actually had his postcards that he wrote my great, great-grandmother when he was over there. I had them with me the whole time.”
“That little bit of Hemingway, a little bit of the postcards from my great grandfather, a little bit of Africa – you just draw inspiration wherever you can, really, and you’re sitting with the text as much as possible. And they’re going to have to figure out how this guy sounds, how he walks. How are you going to arc that over eight episodes?”
Sklenar took inspiration from other decades for his character
Though Spencer Dutton is living through the ’20s in 1923, Brandon Sklenar also drew inspiration from several other decades for his character.
“On the page, he’s more than just an archetype, but he’s reminiscent of these classic, iconic film, masculine archetypes that you would have seen in the ’30s, ’40s, ’50s, ’60s,” the actor told Newsweek. “He’s got a bit of that Clint Eastwood vibe. He’s got some Humphrey Bogart, it’s all kind of in there, and I think it resonates.”
1923 returns with episode 5 on Sunday, Feb. 5, only on Paramount+.
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