Why ‘Yellowstone’ Star Mo Brings Plenty Was Present During Every One of Aminah Nieves’ Heartbreaking ‘1923’ Scenes

Yellowstone star Mo Brings Plenty played an important role in the first season of the show’s popular prequel, 1923. Along with being a cultural consultant, Brings Plenty was present for every one of Aminah Nieves’ heartbreaking scenes. 

With fans eagerly waiting for updates about season 2, here’s a closer look at Brings Plenty’s important work behind the scenes.

Mo Brings Plenty opened up about his duties on the set of ‘1923’

Brings Plenty is most known for playing the part of Mo in Taylor Sheridan’s hit series Yellowstone. But apart from his work in front of the cameras, Brings Plenty acts as an American Indian consultant for the franchise.

In an interview with Hollywood Reporter, Brings Plenty opened up about his duties behind the scenes. The actor revealed that his main job is to ensure the series is accurate in its portrayal of American Indian culture.

He was also brought along to help the cast of 1923 bring their own characters to life. This includes Nieves’ Teonna Rainwater, who experienced a trauma-filled journey in the first season.

In speaking about these difficult storylines, Brings Plenty complimented Sheridan for his courage to go places most shows wouldn’t dare. He was also thankful that the show put a spotlight on a topic that doesn’t get a lot of attention.

“If you want to walk beside Taylor Sheridan, he’s so fearless that you, too, have to be courageous to do what needs to be done and tell these stories in a good way. And be aware and conscious of the boundary that you don’t want to cross.”

Aminah Nieves praises ‘Yellowstone’ star Mo Brings Plenty for helping behind the scenes

While Teonna’s story was heartbreaking to watch, Brings Plenty revealed that her story was not unfamiliar to him. Although the boarding schools were closed long before Brings Plenty was a child, he experienced similar attempts at cultural assimilation.  

His personal experience with the story also helped him connect with Nieves. In the same interview, Nieves revealed that Brings Plenty was on set for all of her scenes in season 1.

“And I want to say that Mo was such a light for me,” she explained. “He was always there next to me before and after every scene. He and Birdie were standing there during every scene. I think that really helped. Mo and I have shared sentiments. People don’t know that behind the scenes Mo was there every second of every single day. That means so much.”

Nieves went on to discuss how her character’s storyline has sparked larger conversations about the boarding school experience. People have even reached out to her outside of the show and relayed their own family’s history in regard to that time period.

She also revealed that the series has helped her bring up the topic with her own family members. Although it is not an easy subject to discuss, she is thankful that 1923 was accurate in its portrayal.

Aminah Nieves reveals her most difficult scenes in ‘1923’

There’s no debate that Teonna’s storyline in 1923 featured some gut-wrenching moments. But for Nieves, there were two scenes that stood out above the rest.

Nieves told Entertainment Weekly the two scenes she thought were the most difficult in season 1. The scenes in question featured major character deaths in the Yellowstone prequel, and each took a toll on Teonna.

“I think it’s a tie between the scene when she kills Sister Mary, and the scene when Hank gets shot,” she stated. “Both of those scenes, they were very difficult ones to be with.”

Nieves explained how difficult it was for Teonna to kill a person, no matter how badly they treated her. Even though she acted out of a need for survival, Sister Mary’s murder was still something that stuck with her.

When it came to Hank’s shooting, Nieves felt it played out in a similar way as Sister Mary’s demise. Teonna had so many emotions running through her and the thought of Hank dying brought her back to Sister Mary’s death.

“It was kind of a lot for her to move through all of those emotions at once,” Nieves added. “She’s exhausted.”

Season 1 of 1923 is available to stream on Paramount+.