1883 Star Isabel May Dishes On Tim McGraw's Strict Side On Set
Fans of Taylor Sheridan's "1883" know that one of the most important aspects of the entire series is the dynamic between Elsa Dutton (Isabel May) and her father, James Dutton (Tim McGraw). Although James is often shown to be extremely protective of his daughter (and at times, even a little overbearing), he also frequently encourages her to be herself — accepting Elsa's free-spirited attitude towards their travels across the American frontier.
Indeed, as the series progresses, James and his wife Margaret (Faith Hill) fiercely argue over whether or not this journey has changed their daughter for the worse: as Elsa adapts to the brutal conditions of the wilderness and embraces the danger of the open road, becoming someone they hardly recognize. Throughout it all, it's clear that the father and daughter have an incredibly strong bond, which makes the end of her story (in which she dies in her father's arms beneath a tree) so utterly heartbreaking — to the point where some fans even thought that Elsa's death went too far.
Although James Dutton was relatively supportive when it came to his daughter's strong-willed nature and love of the frontier, Isabel May herself revealed that Tim McGraw was a bit more strict behind the scenes.
Isabel May revealed that she and Tim McGraw almost had their own father-daughter relationship behind-the-scenes
During an interview with ExtraTV on YouTube, Isabel May was asked whether or not Faith Hill and Tim McGraw (who played her parents within the series) acted like strict parents on set, and May responded with an interesting anecdote about McGraw's strict attitude behind the scenes.
"Yeah he was a little kind of... he was on my butt a little bit, about stuff," May explained. "I would kind of give him the dirty eye every once in a while... it was definitely almost like an actual father-daughter relationship in a funny way." Although it's certainly quite funny to know that this father-daughter relationship which was so crucial to "1883" actually paralleled the real relationship between the actors themselves, it is somewhat surprising to learn that Tim McGraw had a stricter behind-the-scenes presence than it might appear.
In contrast, May went on to express her overwhelming love for Faith Hill, saying that her on-screen mom "treats everyone like gold" — a complete 180 from the overtly strict attitude of Margaret Dutton. In any case, it's certainly interesting to learn that the Dutton family dynamics which were so essential to "1883" persisted even behind-the-scenes.