Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford on the “Rare” Love Story at the Heart of 1923

In television, love stories often end where fairy tales do — at the wedding, the passionate embrace, or the first declaration of “I love you.” But in 1923, the Yellowstone prequel streaming on Paramount+, Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford are telling a different kind of romance: the “ever after.”

Mirren plays Cara Dutton, the matriarch of the Dutton family, opposite Ford’s Jacob Dutton, the patriarch. Together, they run a Montana ranch in the early 20th century, facing brutal winters, land disputes, and the return of their nephew Spencer (Brandon Sklenar) in season two. Yet the beating heart of their storyline is not youthful infatuation, but the hard-earned intimacy of a lifelong partnership.

“In movies, people get married or they meet-cute and they fall in love and they have hot sex or whatever, and then it’s all over, happily ever after,” Mirren told People. “Jacob and Cara’s story in 1923 is the ever after.”

Partners as Well as Lovers

For Ford, the relationship Taylor Sheridan has written is extraordinary because it’s built on mutual reliance. “These two are partners as much as lovers,” he explained. “They’re depending on each other for things that are not part of their quiver of arrows. It’s an extraordinary relationship to inhabit.”

In 1923, that reliance is tested by the realities of frontier life — a deadly winter, hostile forces eyeing their land, and the daily grind of keeping the ranch alive. The Duttons’ love story plays out not in candlelit declarations, but in quiet acts of care and shared responsibility.

Chemistry On and Off Set

Their on-screen ease is bolstered by a warm off-screen camaraderie. “We would sit around together and shoot the s— off-set,” Mirren said of working with Ford again after nearly 40 years — their first project together was Peter Weir’s 1986 film The Mosquito Coast.

Ford returns the admiration with a grin. “She’s what we used to call a broad — and there’s no disparagement in calling a dame a broad,” he said. “She’s a woman that has the bandwidth to hang with men — not just to be a lady with them, but to actually hang with them.”

Mirren noted how the male cast “gather around” Ford, drawn to his company, while Ford himself says they had as much fun spending time together as they did filming.

A Love Story Set Against History

The historical setting adds another layer to their performances. Life in 1920s Montana was grueling, the stakes often life and death, and 1923 uses that backdrop to show how love can endure when tested by external pressures.

Mirren sees this as part of what makes Cara and Jacob’s story unique. “It’s about what happens after the romantic climax,” she’s said — how couples sustain affection, respect, and interdependence when life is less about grand gestures and more about surviving side by side.

The Ever After

In 1923, happily ever after isn’t the ending — it’s the work, the weathering of storms, the private jokes, and the unspoken trust built over decades. Mirren and Ford’s portrayal captures that rare truth: love stories don’t have to fade after the first chapter. Sometimes, they get better in the telling.

Season two of 1923 premiered February 23, 2025, with new episodes streaming Sundays on Paramount+.