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There’s no shortage of talent in the Yellowstone prequel 1883, and Sam Elliott is one of the show’s biggest stars. The famous actor seems right at home in the Wild West. Few fans had any doubts that he would pull off his role as Shea Brennan. Still, not everyone in 1883 has the vast acting background of Elliott. Tim McGraw and Faith Hill were much more experienced with making music when they were cast in 1883. However, Elliott praised McGraw and Hill’s fine work on the Yellowstone prequel.

1883 stars Sam Elliott and Tim McGraw pose together wearing formal attire, and McGraw wears a cowboy hat. Tim McGraw and Faith Hill star with Sam Elliott in 1883, the Yellowstone prequel.
Sam Elliott and Tim McGraw | Greg Doherty/Getty Images for Wynn Las Vegas

Faith Hill and Tim McGraw were excited to work with Sam Elliott

Working alongside the legendary Sam Elliott is a dream come true for many actors, and Tim McGraw and Faith Hill were no different. The country music stars were also thrilled with Taylor Sheridan’s writing for 1883. “When I read the scripts, it’s like ‘There’s no way I’m not gonna do this,’” McGraw told Outsider. “Faith [Hill] and I both. ‘There’s no way we’re not gonna do this.'”

Elliott’s involvement in the project served to sweeten the pot in an already enticing project. “Then when Sam Elliott got involved… I mean how do you take this script, Taylor Sheridan, being a huge Yellowstone fan, and then Sam Elliott’s gonna be acting with you?” McGraw continued. “That’s a box that you can’t get out of. You don’t wanna get out of. How do you say no to any of that? And it’s been a fantastic experience.”

Sam Elliott praised Tim McGraw and Faith Hill for their work in ‘1883’

McGraw and Hill play Margaret and James Dutton in 1883. Along with Elliott’s character Shea, they embark on the dangerous journey west with their sights originally set on Oregon.

Elliott spoke enthusiastically about his partnership with McGraw and Hill in an interview with Cowboys & Indians.

“I think all of us really in the beginning hit it off,” Elliott said. “Yeah, there’s probably a certain group of people that thought, ‘Oh yeah, here’s these country singers and now they’re going to become actors, and they’re going to try to pull that off.’ Well, they have pulled it off. They’re incredible in this thing. I think the work that Faith and Tim are doing, it’s as good as anything anybody else is doing in the show. They’re up to it.”

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‘1883’: What Happened to Shea Brennan’s Family?

While McGraw and Hill are indeed country music singers, it’s not as if they’ve never acted before. McGraw notably portrayed Sean Tuohy in the film The Blind Side. He has also appeared in The Shack, Tomorrowland, and Four Christmases, according to IMDb. Hill made her debut on the big screen when she played Sarah Sunderson in the 2004 remake of The Stepford Wives.

Will Tim McGraw and Faith Hill appear in Sheridan’s future work?

In addition to 1883, Hill and McGraw also appeared in flashbacks during Yellowstone. 1883 has been renewed for additional episodes, and Yellowstone is getting a fifth season. But at the moment Hill and McGraw’s future in Taylor Sheridan’s work remains uncertain. “We’re sort of in limbo like everyone else,” McGraw told Variety.

Unfortunately, it’s pretty unlikely that Sam Elliott will work alongside McGraw and Hill in future episodes of 1883. Shea took his own life in the 1883 finale, having reached the coastline in Oregon and fulfilled his promise to his late wife

All episodes of 1883 are currently streaming on Paramount+.

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