After two-year break, Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone prequel, 1923, is back for its second season on Paramount+. While fans of the Dutton saga are thrilled with the series’ return, no one is happier than star Brandon Sklenar. As Spencer Dutton—the gruff WWI veteran who spent the whole of the show’s first season hunting lions in Africa, falling in love with a plucky Englishwoman, and then learning that the family farm was in trouble —Sklenar brings a quiet stoicism and fiery passion to a very complex role. “Spencer Dutton has the capacity to be a very dangerous person,” explained Sklenar. “Ultimately, he’s just driven by love, his love for his family and his love for his wife.”

Spencer is forcibly separated from his wife Alex (Julia Schlaepfer) at the end of Season 1, and Spencer’s journey to America is already in progress at the start of Season 2. He is a member of the crew on an Italian cargo ship heading for Galveston, Texas. During the voyage, he saves the life of Luca (Andy Dispensa), a fellow engine worker, and the two form a tentative partnership. “He has an innate protector quality to him,” said Sklenar of Dutton. “There’s something inside him that makes it impossible for him not to defend people and help them.”

Sklenar assures fans that Spencer’s journey this season will be an exciting one. “The Spencer was at the beginning of the first season and the man he is at the end of this season are two different people,” teased Sklenar. One of the biggest reveals in the Season 2 premiere was Alex’s pregnancy. When asked if he thought Spencer would make a good father, Sklenar said: “Yes, he’s got a lot of love to give.” Sklenar also confided that, because of his marriage, Spencer now “sees a life that he didn’t think was possible.”

As he makes his way to Montana, Spencer will no doubt have plenty of time to plot how he will defend his family once he arrives to the Yellowstone. “It’s been six years since he’s been home and he’s got a lot guilt on his shoulders,” explained Sklenar. “Someone with that amount of love and conviction—and someone so physically capable—should be feared.” All the enemies of the Duttons should be very, very afraid.

Sklenar spoke to Decider during a virtual press day about Spencer’s journey in Season 2, his own growth as an actor, and Spencer’s inspiring resilience.

DECIDER: What can you tease about Spencer’s literal and figurative journey in Season 2?

BRANDON SKLENAR: I can’t say much, but I can say that the man he was at the beginning of the first season and the man he is at the end of this season are two different people. He has a beautiful emotional journey that I think people will really respond to.

After all the hardships and trauma he’s endured, Spencer is still able to think outside of himself. He pines for Alex. He worries for his family. He protects Luca when no one else will. What keeps Spencer going? What drives him?

He has an innate protector quality to him. There’s something inside him that makes it impossible for him not to defend people and help them. He has a strong moral compass and code of ethics along with a sense of nobility that he lives by—sometimes to a fault. He has strong convictions and knows what he’s doing and why he’s doing it.

One of the biggest moments in the season 2 premiere is when Alex reveals she is pregnant. How do you think Spencer will receive the news and will he make a good father?

Yes, he will make a great father. He has a lot of love to give. Ultimately, he’s just driven by love: his love for his family and his love for his wife. He wants a life that he didn’t think was possible, and now he sees that it as possible.

Spencer is honorable, but he holds nothing back once he decides to fight the men on the ship for money. He kicks a guy in the crotch; he gives another guy a vampire bite! Is he fighting dirty or is he just doing whatever it takes?

I mean, he’s an animal. You know, he’s a killer, and he has the capacity to be a very dangerous person. He’s aware of that, which is why he has always tried to shy away from conflict. Now he has been put in situations that require him to fight. When he taps into his killer instinct, it’s hard to restrain himself. It’s very exciting for the audience and me as the actor when he unleashes that urge. It’s fun to finally get to do that.

What was it like filming that fight sequence?



It was great. I love doing that stuff. I grew up boxing, so it wasn’t unfamiliar to me. I love getting physical. It’s great.

Luca tells Spencer there are two types of men: men who make things and men who take things. Which one is Spencer and why?

A maker, for sure. He has marched to the beat of his own drum his entire life and been very self-sufficient. Honestly, he’s more of a giver than anything, and he now has so much to care about and so much to live for. He wants to build a life and go home and make a family. He’s ready to settle into that life and not be on the run.

Though the Yellowstone is Spencer’s home, I’m sure his feelings about the place are complex. He witnessed both his parents die on the ranch. His brother John also died defending it. Spencer stayed in Africa to avoid that legacy. Is this a fight he wants to take on?

Absolutely. He was avoiding it for years and years. He was a little kid who saw his dad be murdered and his mother freeze to death. He had to take care of himself. But then when his brother was murdered while he was away, and Spencer can’t help but blame himself for not being there. It has been six years since he’s been home, and he’s got a lot guilt on his shoulders. He feels incredibly responsible for all of it. Now that Spencer has found love and found himself again, he’s trying to find redemption and be the best guy he can be.

Did the way you play Spencer shift as you filmed Season 2?

It did shift. At the start of Season 2, Spencer is different from when we last saw him. He’ now knows exactly what he’s doing and why he’s doing it. There is no questioning his motivations or his mission. In between seasons, I also matured a lot as a person and as an actor. I felt so much more freedom with Spencer and was able to bring more of myself to the role. I was much more confident this time around.

It was such an enjoyable experience too. I was dying to play this role for two years. I had those scripts for months, and I just couldn’t wait. It was much fun to bring these pages to life—even the heavy stuff—because they’re so well-written. Taylor is such a great writer with a fascinating mind.

In the trailer, Spencer is spoken about in almost hushed tones by the enemies of the Duttons. Why should they be so afraid?

Spencer’s a survivor. Someone with that amount of love and conviction—and someone so physically capable—should be feared. He’s been through so much trauma and is still so resilient. He’s going to do anything he can to protect the people he loves.