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If youre filming something set in the American West, you call Gil Birmingham.
But I know cases like this a hell of a lot better than you do.
I read an interview where you discussed connecting with the Paiute community in preparation for this.
Could you talk about that?I had discussions with two or three members of the Paiute nation.
Theyre far and few between theres not a lot of them left.
Most of that discussion was trying to get some of the Paiute language down.
We incorporated some prayer in there.
I knew about Taba; I didnt make that connection with Pyre.
We have a fiery dynamic.
Theres a mystery to Taba.
I dont necessarily know that thats the way the divorce went, but thats quite possible.
Taba has the task of being the audience surrogate and also representing his community.
He has that jadedness youd expect from a veteran cop, but theres also a warmth and silliness there.
Was that intentional?I saw Taba as a cynical skeptic.
But you dont really get through tough times in life without a little bit of humor.
Im not sure its jaded, but hes seen a lot already.
Hes certainly seen more than somebody in Rockwell or any of the officers there.
But Taba doesnt read as bitter or angry about that.Hes not resentful.
Gotta have some laughs.
Hes also a very fashionable guy: the shirts, the suits; hes got these cool rings on.
It indicated some of that what would I call it?
The flare of the West.
Its distinctly different from the community hes entering a very stiff-shirt key in of environment.
It was a great idea to have this contrast and worldly incorporation of the wardrobe and culture.
Do you end up keeping any of that stuff?It is funny, I asked.
No, I didnt.
The gum chewing makes him seem very approachable.
How did you find that?That was actually in the script.
But it can be distracting unless you do it properly.
And hopefully I did.
Theres also the moment youre hiding behind the shack with Andrew and you start singing a song.
I know youre a musical person.
What was filming that scene like?I was nervous about it.
The process was just being in the moment and feeling whats going on and the dynamics between characters.
Andrew said it was one of his favorite scenes.
Just before that, inepisode two, youre running through the woods after this little girl in cowboy boots.
I thought itd be easier than it was to run in cowboy boots.
But it really set it up for the injury he sustained once he fell into the pit there.
Those are the most intriguing things in storytelling.
And they came to me differently.
That really opened up that relationship for us.
Taba has a lot of compassion for Pyre.
That really opened up the relationship to develop.
And Andrews just a fantastic guy.
Hes so easy to love, so the personal dynamics got interjected into the character work.
You also played a sheriff inSirenand a cop inAnimal Kingdom.
My father was law enforcement, so I grew up with it.
Basically, how do we operate with each other and how do we find meaning in life?
All those things become part of it.
Youve been a staple in the Taylor Sheridan universe for a while now.
He said, No, this is the guy.
And Im like family with the Sheridans.
Hes a creative genius with such integrity and mind-blowing, prolific writing skills.
Im grateful to be part of it.
I think thats whats so enjoyable about the show.
You never know what direction Taylors gonna give.
Just when you think it might be anticipating that, hell do something entirely different.
I find it incredibly fascinating.
But I think its gotta beYellowstone.
We were very proud of the work we did but we werent getting the traction viewership-wise.
It was increasing every year, then all of a sudden season four came out and it just exploded.
The fans became avid about it.
