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SPOILER ALERT! This story contains plot points from the latest episode of 1923 on Paramount+.
The road trip from hell has only just begun for Alex. In the latest episode of the Yellowstone origin series, Spencer’s wife (played by Julia Schlaepfer) disembarks her ship after a precarious ocean voyage, only to encounter more horrors while passing through Ellis Island.
Here, Schlaepfer looks back at the filming of the episode titled “Wrap Thee In Terror” and talks about what it’s like to work opposite Brandon Sklenar in the Taylor Sheridan series. “It’s like the dream love story I get to tell,” she says to Deadline. “I love a good love story, and this is an epic one, that’s for sure.”
DEADLINE You and Brandon Sklenar have such great chemistry. Were you able to spend much time together before filming began in Africa for season one?
JULIA SCHLAEPFER Yes, actually we met during cowboy camp. It was the first day of cowboy camp where they brought all of the actors out to learn how to ride horses and to help everyone get into the western spirit. Brandon and I had a little over a month while everyone started filming in Montana before they flew us to Africa to start filming. We would ride horses every morning and then we’d eat every meal together. We got manicures and pedicures one time. So yeah, we did get some good quality bonding in.
DEADLINE I don’t know if you’ve watched the first two episodes of season 2, but it’s already been pretty damn hard season on women.
SCHLAEPFER Oh, I sure noticed.
DEADLINE Let’s jump right into those Ellis Island scenes. That kind of detail isn’t usually depicted in film or TV when it comes to addressing how immigrants make their way into America.
SCHLAEPFER Yeah, I agree. Taylor Sheridan does such incredible research about the history of our world. That’s what was so fun about 1883 because there’s just so much history in it to learn. He called me and said, ‘Alex is going to come through Ellis Island as an unwed pregnant woman. She’s going to be hurt and people will want to mess with her.’ He said he really wanted to write this story because it’s what would’ve happened. He asked, ‘are you okay with that? Because you’ll have to go through a lot as an actor.’ And I was like, yes, yes. It feels so important to me to tell this story. Every day on set, I’d walk in and see all these extras in their costumes with their Ellis Island tags, and it felt so real and so horrifying. So many people went through this and I felt honored that we got to tell that side of history.
DEADLINE I was struck by the notion that Alex had to endure three different examinations.
SCHLAEPFER I did my own research and I think what was interesting is how so much of what has been documented about Ellis Island has been positive. There are not a lot of people talking about the negatives of what people experienced. I think a lot of those stories have probably been passed down within families. My great-grandfather Valentino came through Ellis Island in the ’20s and he only had $15 in his pocket. From what I understand from my family, he was messed with a little bit. So it is horrible. It didn’t surprise me that Alex went through this kind of treatment. Even as a woman in the world in 2025, there’s a level of fear that I understand in regard to traveling alone. So I tried to bring as much of that to Alex.
DEADLINE Alex is quite the standout with her blonde hair.
SCHLAEPFER I think that was on purpose. The costume designer, Janie Bryant, is a genius. She said that she wanted me in light colors and everyone else in darker, more muted colors just because we’re following Alex’s journey. Alex is such a bright light and is so hopeful. She has so much love and spirit inside of her that the world is trying to strip away.
DEADLINE You’re a native of Washington state. Is this your first go-around with an English accent?
SCHLAEPFER I studied acting in college and we had dialect classes, so I had a base level of understanding. Then I had this incredible dialect coach, Jessica Drake, who has worked with me both seasons. This is my first time in any show or movie doing an accent, so I was a bit nervous because I didn’t want to mess it up. My director is British and I said to him, ‘if you hear anything wrong, you have to tell me because I am not going to mess this up.’
DEADLINE It really paid off when you’re in the office with that one immigration officer who asked you to read from a book.
SCHLAEPFER It was so much fun. It was like a sigh of relief after all of the horrible things that she goes through. I filmed the assault scene on the same day she met with the immigration officer. It was a long day, and I just got to let him have it. He tries to belittle her and she is like, ‘I can read, what are you talking about?’ They also wanted to dehumanize these people as much as possible and test how much they really had to offer the country. In that moment he thinks that he’s so superior and she’s like, ‘Uh, I got you. I’m going to show you how it really is right now.’
DEADLINE How did you shoot that scene in the ship that was going through the choppy ocean waters?
SCHLAEPFER It was a huge stunt rig. They built this giant box on a sound stage and moved it back and forth super violently. It was honestly kind of fun. There were all these incredible stunt performers just throwing themselves across the room. I’m supposed to be screaming and crying but when they called cut, I had the biggest smile on my face because it was so much fun. It felt like a roller coaster.
DEADLINE We see how the episode ends. Some creep is following you in the bathroom, which can’t be good.
SCHLAEPFER I will say that she’s only in New York City and she’s got to make it across the country, so the journey will not be easy. She’s not done with the hardships yet. She’s got a lot more to get through, but she’s tough. She is fighting her way. I think she’s proving to herself how strong she is and how much fight she can bring to the table.
DEADLINE We are already seeing Michelle Randolph’s character Elizabeth wanting to leave the ranch because she can’t stand the life. I’m wondering if it will be as hard on Alex when she gets there.
SCHLAEPFER I think that Alex wants it. This journey is preparing her for it, and I think she’s really built for it. I think her whole life, she’s wanted adventure. She’s wanted more. She knows what Spencer’s family goes through out there on the ranch from reading those letters. She wants it, and she wants to be with Spencer. So I think she’s going to be well equipped for that lifestyle.
DEADLINE My fear is that we’re not going to get to see Alex’s reunion with Spencer until the final episode of season two.
SCHLAEPFER I cannot say. But I’ve seen bits of the finale. The whole journey is so beautiful. I think people are going to be really happy with the way that everything happens.
