How Sam Elliott ‘Jabbed’ Tim McGraw For Forgetting His Line on ‘1883’
The entire cast of the Paramount Network’s new Yellowstone prequel series 1883 seems to love working with Sam Elliott. Wouldn’t you?! After spending years working in Hollywood, he’s become a legend and widely beloved for appearing in numerous westerns — a natural fit for the world of 1883.
Elliott plays Shea Brennan on the popular new series which tells the Dutton family story. Yellowstone’s John Dutton (Kevin Costner)’s ancestors, James Dutton (Tim McGraw), and his wife, Margaret Dutton (Faith Hill), travel through the Great Plains up to Montana led by Shea and his partner Thomas (LaMonica Garrett). There’s really no one who doesn’t love Sam Elliott on set, even when he calls you out for forgetting a line.
In a interview on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, McGraw revealed that he forgot to deliver a line to Elliott. It was the memorable scene early in the season where James, Shea, and Thomas, with the help of the Fort Worth Sheriff (Billy Bob Thornton), track down a group of bandits who shot up their camp.
Apparently, McGraw was so enthralled acting in a scene with longtime pal Billy Bob, he completely forgot about his line. Although to be fair, he was acting in a scene with two Oscar nominees (Elliott and Thornton). So we can’t blame him for getting distracted.
“‘Gosh, Sam, I’m sorry I forgot my line. I was supposed to deliver a line to you,'” McGraw recalled saying to Elliott after they had to stop filming.
“And Sam goes, ‘I noticed.’ And then he goes, ‘At least you’ve got the squint down.’ I walk off and get on my mark again and go, ‘dang, he just jabbed me.’ So, a few minutes later, I walk back over to him, and I say, ‘You know, Sam, the squint worked pretty good for Clint Eastwood.’ He goes [sarcastically], ‘Yeah, it did.'”
Fans of 1883 loved hearing this lighthearted behind-the-scenes story. One wrote, “Lol! That sounds like Sam! I love that guy ❤️ and Thank you for your participation. I’ve enjoyed the show so much! I look forward to watching it every Sunday.” Another said, “😂 sounds like Sam has a great sense of humor 🙌❤️🔥.”
Many viewers took to the comments section to beg for more episodes. While a second season has not been confirmed, Paramount+ has announced that more episodes are on the way, and the next chapter of the Yellowstone saga, 1923 season 2, is in the works too. We can’t wait to see where the story goes next.
