‘1883’ stars Tim McGraw and Faith Hill portray the intense physical production of a limited-edition western series.

Tim McGraw and Faith Hill have worked together many times since they were married in 1996, recording music and touring the world. But the musicians, who performed separately in various Hollywood projects, had never appeared on screen together. yellow stone Developer Taylor Sheridan called them out with a crazy suggestion: Will they consider Kevin Costner’s role as John Dutton’s grandparents in Season 4 of Flashback to Westerns? which yellow stone The fans, McGraw and Hill, pitched the idea, which turned out to be a much bigger show. The Paramount Network drama has gained an angry fanbase, with Sheridan envisioning a prequel to the Paramount+ series that would follow James and Margaret Dutton as they travel from Tennessee to Montana and eventually form Yellowstone Ranch.

the couple spoke THR About how the authenticity of the footage helped them get into character and the old western skills they mastered along the way.

How did this project get in your way?

HILL OF FAITH The call reached Tim. I was in the right place at the right time, married to the right man.

TIM MCGRAW The last part is really true. we were huge yellow stone fans. We watched every episode from the beginning. I called Taylor and she wanted me to leave. yellow stone And make a scene or two. Sure, I was thinking, but I told him I didn’t want to be a singing cowboy who goes to the bookstore and takes me to the train station at the end of the episode. If you find something out of the ordinary, you will have to rethink your position. He said, “Give me a few weeks,” and got the idea, “You’re going to be the original Dutton who founded the Yellowstone Ranch, and we’re going back to the 1890s.” “He called me a week later and said, ‘Do you think Faith would be interested in your wife’s game?’

CLOSED Said that? Can I shoot someone?

MCGRAW That was his main concern: “Was I able to participate in the shooting? So off we went, boarding our 17-year-old Cadillac Escalade and heading to Montana, where we spent a few weeks recording some flashbacks. yellow stone. A few months later, Taylor called and said, “We showed flashbacks from the studio and they wanted to buy the entire season. Are you interested? “

This is kind of a wonderful audition to put on your own show.

MCGRAW It also helped us find our characters.

Faye, I read that you didn’t want to talk to Tim at home. How did you work to maintain the weight? 1883 And did they come home like Faith and Tim?

CLOSED We’ve been married for 26 years. We’ve never done anything like this together. Tim is a legit actor and I felt the only way I could authentically bring him out was through James and Margaret’s first experience on set. It would be difficult for me to separate these two. It seemed to work, because Tim still surprised me when we worked together: he was doing what James hadn’t expected of him. I needed it to be as natural as possible.

MCGRAW My point was, people will have a hard time seeing Tim and Faith on screen. We wanted to take as much luggage as we could. Essentially, our relationship and our chemistry and who we are together will be there. But we wanted to keep it as real as possible to these characters.

How did the costumes and sets help you get into the characters?

CLOSED Everything was intelligently created. Men found it difficult to carry and definitely It was difficult for women to wear because we had corsets, and they were real corsets. I don’t know how they did it then. The whole series was very physical, but we were allowed to be those people in 1883. We dominated the road, the saddles, the reins, everything you saw in the carriages, the horses… everything was relevant for the time. Revitalizing this world was fundamental, absolutely necessary, and everyone involved did an amazing job.

MCGRAW Our call time was usually 4 am. You put on the suit, the glasses, the spurs and the rifle belt and suddenly this metamorphosis happens. I like to get there really early, so I would go to where we were filming that day and just go into the world where we were going to film. For all these cars and these stores. It wasn’t difficult to determine her location and find her boyfriend. It happened so organically because of the environment we were in.

You are country music superstars. Have you ever wondered how country music represents the American West and the South, especially when you signed up for the show?

MCGRAW Country music originated with Irish and Eastern European immigrants and you hear little about it on the show when some immigrants play music. I was thinking about how country music is kind of uniquely American. Its roots come from the people who live their everyday lives and the struggles and jobs they go through. Also, we jump into this world, we create these characters, and we’re known for being country music singers and being a part of that community. It’s part of me that I didn’t want anyone to give up on our industry. I didn’t want my friends to think, “Oh, you were a good country singer before you did this show.” (laughs.)

CLOSED I don’t believe. I personally never thought about it. I really had to run everything. I still analyze a lot, it’s just my personality. And that’s the only way to truly embrace and be Margaret as much as I can, to release everything that existed beyond her world.

MCGRAW We usually turn off phones for five or six months. We decided to lose ourselves in this world, of course.

Are you a fan of both western genres? What is the most exciting thing about participating in western production?

MCGRAW for me it’s clear [it was] A story created by Taylor. We look at it through the eyes of a young woman, which I don’t think we’ve seen before in the western genre. I’m a big fan of westerns. I went back and saw all the Clint Eastwood movies before we started shooting, and then I found out that we were going to be working with Sam Elliott; It was probably the most stressful. You go and do a scene with Sam Elliot, and he looks at you like, “Okay, show me what you’ve got.” I am grateful and honored to be able to do this and be a part of this product. It made me think of everything I loved as a child: gun smoke s Bonatsa. Being part of that culture was a very, very good thing.

CLOSED Yes, our cool factor has grown a lot. Authenticity was exciting to me. I understood why it was important to learn how to do this job correctly when you’re actually shooting on horseback, in a carriage, shooting a gun, all of which we needed to do in fun training. It was very helpful because it became something you do your whole life. It was just part of who you were. It was an extension of who we were and who leaned towards him.

Were there any new skills you picked from the set? Can you show me something for your next dinner?

MCGRAW Well, I grew up riding, so I was well prepared to ride. I could use it before walking; It’s been a while since I did that, but it came back pretty quickly. I have to say I’m pretty good with strings, so I still enjoy pulling strings. I have one of those fake vaquitas where you throw a string and it spins. I still do it

CLOSED I want to bring a lot of skills to dinner, but I don’t really have a carriage in the back of the house.

MCGRAW He drove the car very well, of course.

The interview is edited for length and clarity.

The story first appeared in a separate June issue of The Hollywood Reporter. Click here to subscribe to the magazine.