How ‘1923’ Pulled Off Alexandra’s Harrowing Journey
When Taylor Sheridan phoned Julia Schlaepfer, the actress knew that something special was coming her way. The Yellowstone creator planned to dive into America’s distressing immigration system at Ellis Island in 1923 season 2—and her character, Alexandra, would experience the worst of it.
Schlaepfer had to deliver a monologue following a sequence about the country’s hypocritical policies—which still rings true today—but to give those words any meaning, she would first need to reenact traumatic scenes from America’s past. If you’ve already watched episode 3, you can imagine it wasn’t easy.
“[Taylor] said, ‘This is how she would get to America, and this would be her reality,’ ” Schlaepfer told me over Zoom earlier this week. “ ‘In that time, a woman unwed, pregnant, and alone—they don’t see her as adding any value to the country. So she would’ve probably been violated and hurt.’ I remember Taylor asked, ‘Is it okay if I write this for you? Because I know it will be a very challenging thing for you to have to go through as an actor.’ And I said, ‘Yes, let’s tell that story.’ ”
“It feels very important to me,” the 30-year-old actress continues. “When I think about 1923, it tells so much of the history of our world and what people did to endure. It’s brutal and it’s hard to see, but it’s the truth, and I really wanted to make sure that we told the truth.”
That truth still exists today. As Alexandra tells an immigration officer during her final monologue at Ellis Island, America is quick to dismiss foreigners despite being a nation composed of them. Even worse, Alexandra is repeatedly violated as she’s tested for sexually transmitted diseases, accused of coming to the country for prostitution, and nearly rejected simply because she is pregnant. For anyone who accuses Sheridan’s programming as right-wing propaganda, there’s very little for the current administration to love in episode 3.
“America runs ads inside every newspaper in London, boasting of the endless opportunity here and the welcoming arms,” Schlaepfer’s character remarks in the episode. Instead, the Statue of Liberty “stares down on you, as you strip us of our dignity and inspect us like cattle,” she continues. “In fact, I would say this is the least free I have ever felt in my life.”
The story rang close to home for Schlaepfer. As she told me, her great-grandfather came into America through Ellis Island with just 15 dollars to his name. “I know from my family that he was messed with a bit,” she said, “but this episode feels so current, and that monologue she gives to that immigration officer about how everybody deserves a chance at freedom and opportunity is a message that still resonates for so many people today.”
Hopefully, the worst is behind Alexandra as she moves forward in 1923. Firmly in America and off to reunite with her husband, Spencer Dutton (Brendan Sklenar), she enters Grand Central station in New York City and plots a course to the Yellowstone ranch in Montana.
“I’m really excited for people to see her journey,” Schlaepfer says. “What I love most about her this season is that everything she does is for her future family. Watching her navigate how to fight each battle is something that I think is so beautiful, and I’m excited for people to see it.”
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