In Taylor Sheridan’s world, the only man of color is treated with “respect and dignity.”
“That’s something that jumped out at me,” said Garrett (Designated Survivor,Arrow).
There’s a whole 100 years that we just don’t know about.
LaMonica Garrett in ‘1883’.Emerson Miller/Paramount+
But inthisstory, you don’t see that.
With this little section of people, Thomas didn’t go through that.
He’s a great character, but not a typical character that we’ve seen in other TV westerns.
LaMonica Garrett and Sam Elliott in ‘1883’.Emerson Miller/Paramount+
He’s treated with respect and dignity, and he carries himself that way."
Here, Garrett talks about his biggest episode yet and what it has meant to work on location.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Let’s talk about the widow Noemi, played by Gratiela Brancusi.
My first thought was, “Where did Thomas have the money to buy her that mirror?”
LAMONICA GARRETT:Thomas and Shea both have money and live well below their means.
He saw the mirror in the trading post.
It hit him right at that moment that Noemi would like it.
He didn’t really didn’t think he’d be having this conversation [about marriage].
He just thought she would be like, “Oh, thank you for this.
“It was a little bit more than Thomas is used to.
There’s an awkwardness to him that I think is really special.
The further we go, there are gonna be more of those moments.
Happiness doesn’t last too long.
How were you first hired by Taylor Sheridan?
Me and Isabel May [Elsa Dutton] have the same manager.
My manager told Taylor, “You don’t know it, but I have Thomas already.”
I’m sure Taylor’s heard that from dozens of managers, of course.
A handful of my buddies were talking about the project because it was huge.
So we all sent in audition tapes, and Taylor called me and gave a little backstory.
He wanted me to do another tape, another audition.
So he gave me more backstory on Thomas, and I hired a dialect coach for the audition.
I love how everybody calls it cowboy camp.
That’s what it is.
Camp sounds fun, and it was for the first few days.
We’re all getting up and having breakfast together.
We’re riding horses.
How did the dialect coach help you?
I also did my own research and found a present-day cowboy who just passed away in 2020.
I think his name was Floyd Frank.
He was a local legend in the Southeast Texas region.
I heard his voice and was like, “That’s the voice I want.”
Thomas served for Sam Elliott’s character in the Civil War, right?
Yeah, as a buffalo soldier.
That’s why Thomas calls him captain.
They kind of navigated through life together and found themselves as Pinkerton agents.
Their bond just became closer over time.
Why does Thomas still wear the uniform jacket?
I think coming from where Thomas came from, he never had anything.
People in that time were former slaves or slaves.
Even in that time period, when you give them something, there’s a sense of pride.
A lot of the buffalo soldiers got secondhand horses and second-rate guns.
Thomas has money, but he doesn’t need much.
He said he sleeps outside.
He bathes in a river.
He doesn’t gamble.
He doesn’t drink.
He just saves his money so he can buy new clothes.
What’s it been like on set?
This is by far the hardest job I’ve ever had.
Ninety-five percent of the show is filmed on location, not in the studio with air conditioning or heat.
It’s either the hottest of Texas summers or the coldest of Montana winters.
You’re dealing with 50 longhorns.
You’re dealing with wagons that don’t have a reverse button.
So it’s a lot of waiting.
What’s it been like working with Sam Elliott?
It’s like working with a Hollywood icon.
There are just not enough words to describe what the relationship with Sam has been like behind the camera.
We just wanted to hear more stories.
We were hearing firsthand information from the icon himself.
None of us took it for granted.
New episodes of1883drop Sundays on Paramount+.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
