1883 elsa dutton isabel may shock revelation

1883 star Isabel May makes surprising revelation about character Elsa Dutton

The actress stars alongside Faith Hill and Tim McGraw in the hit show

US Managing Editor
February 23, 2022

Isabel May has become a household name thanks to her portrayal of Elsa Dutton in the hit show 1883.

MORE: Tim McGraw saddens 1883 fans with latest Instagram post

The talented actress' harrowing performance as the oldest Dutton child has had viewers hooked, most recently in the penultimate episode, Racing Clouds, on Sunday night.

In the heartbreaking episode, Elsa was shot with an arrow, and viewers are now waiting to find out whether or not she survives.

VIDEO: Faith Hill reveals 'painful' memory of filming 1883

What's more, Isabel recently made a surprising confession about her role in the Yellowstone prequel, revealing that the character was given to her without an audition.

MORE: Tim McGraw and Faith Hill enjoy romantic day out in rare photograph

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Isabel said that 1883 creator Taylor Sheridan wrote her "a lovely little letter" and later got a call.

Chatting to Wide Open Country, she said: "He said, 'I haven't written it yet but you're Elsa and I want you to be Elsa, do you want to be Elsa?' I said, of course, I want to be Elsa. Then he outlined what it would entail and what story he wanted to tell, and yeah, I just was swept away," she said.

Isabel May was always destined to play Elsa Dutton in 1883

Taylor told the publication that he had been working on the show but hadn't "found the hook" until he met Isabel during her audition for Mayor of Kingstown.

MORE: Faith Hill reveals 'difficult' living situation without her and Tim McGraw's daughters

MORE: 1883 fans spot major clue Elsa Dutton will survive

"I saw she could represent innocence and hope, and I called Paramount and said, 'I got good news, and then, I got some you-need-to-trust-me news."

Isabel stars alongside Faith Hill, Tim McGraw and Billy Bob Thornton

He continued: "At this point I had not figured out how to tell this story and I had Sam Elliott over here and I had Tim McGraw here and Faith Hill and I had not found the bridge between them all. When I met Isabel, the whole story, all ten episodes, went right through my head."

MORE: Faith Hill shocks fans with latest 1883 update ahead of series finale

MORE: Faith Hill shocks fans with latest 1883 update ahead of series finale

What's more, as a result, nobody else even auditioned for the role.

"I called Paramount and said, 'I'm going to sit down and start writing… but I need to hire the lead, the female lead, who's a complete unknown, right now, before I start writing. Because it won't work if we don't get her."

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