‘Yellowstone: 1883’: Who Is Isabel May, Actress Who Plays Elsa Dutton?
Paramount+ has released the first two episodes of Yellowstone: 1883. While most viewers know Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Sam Elliott, and even Tom Hanks, the voice of the series, Isabel May is the breakout star of Taylor Sheridan’s new series.
Who is Isabel May? Moreover, why does show creator Taylor Sheridan call her the “personification” of this world of 1883?
Isabel May Inspired 1883
Before 1883 premiered, creator Taylor Sheridan told Deadline how the show came about. Although he always had an inkling of an idea, it took four years until he had the story. That is because he met Isabel May.
May had originally tried out for the role of Iris in Sheridan’s other show, The Mayor Of Kingstown. Although Sheridan didn’t cast Isabel in that role, because “What made her wrong for Iris made her, I felt, the personification of this world of 1883.”
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.’ 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 10 episodes, went right through my head. I called Paramount and said, ‘I’m going to sit down and start writing. You’ll have the first episode in about three weeks, 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, and she goes and does another job.
Next, came the convincing. He had to talk Isabel and her manager into hanging on while he drafted the first episode, asking “please trust me.”
She did trust him. Now, this unknown actress is the star of the Yellowstone prequel.
Where Have You Seen Isabel May?
There may be some 1883 fans that have seen the Big Bang Theory spinoff, Young Sheldon. Isabel May has been in nine episodes of that series. According to IMDb, she portrayed Veronica Duncan, the girl that Georgie has a huge crush on.
She also portrayed Katie in Alexa & Katie, for two seasons. She is also starring in an upcoming Amazon Prime movie, I Want You Back, dropping on February 11.
Isabel May Has Never Ridden A Horse
One thing that challenged the new 1883 actress is the whole physical aspect of the job. The Southern California native was more of a book reader. She told EW she had never ridden a horse before filming this show.
Isabel May Didn’t Know Who Faith Hill, Tim McGraw Were Before 1883
Looks like book reading may have interfered with Isabel’s musical exploration. She did not know anything about Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, nor had she ever heard their music.
She may have paid the couple the biggest compliment when she shared, “They’re incredible people. They’re not, you know, music stars, which was really nice.”
Yellowstone: 1883 airs on Sundays on Paramount+.
