The following contains spoilers for 1923 Season 2, Episodes 7 & 8, «A Dream and a Memory,» now streaming on Paramount+.
1923‘s explosive series finale left audiences shocked, but also seeing a mountain of new possibilities. Teonna Rainwater and Elizabeth Dutton both had difficult journeys in the finale. They each experienced monumental changes that finished their expansive character arcs. Neither one ended the show anywhere near where they began.
CBR spoke with actors Aminah Nieves (who plays Teonna) and Michelle Randolph (who portrays Elizabeth) to discuss their characters’ final developments. Nieves explains why she connected with her character on a personal level. Randolph details a few missed opportunities within Elizabeth’s story. Plus, would either actor want to reprise their roles in the future?
CBR: Aminah, Teonna Rainwater’s story is one of the most important in the whole series — one that really needed to be told. What lessons or knowledge are you hoping that 1923 viewers leave with after watching your character for these two seasons?
Aminah Nieves: These are true histories. So what’s happened here on Turtle Island, [that’s] what’s happened. When I say Turtle Island, I’m also including Mexico and Hawaii, Canada, Puerto Rico and that.
All of the people — all the Native Peoples from all those places I just said — attended these assimilation schools. So I hope that the audience that didn’t know about this, they can take away this is true. It’s not fake. And this isn’t even half of it; this is just a little blip of what had happened. It was much worse.
I hope they get curious in a good way and also don’t take fault for not knowing — because it isn’t their fault for not knowing. But I think the audience just being curious enough to Google something small from the show and dig a little bit deeper is everything I could ever ask for. That’s why we do this.
Was there any part of Teonna’s character arc that resonated with you as you were filming?
I think her story is truly just beginning. How it ended is a little bit open. She’s 16. She still has a full life to live. And I’m very curious about her life after that, after everything she’s been through for 16-year-olds.
Michelle, Elizabeth is such an interesting character because she’s quite the opposite of the Duttons. Yet in the 1923 finale, she’s still able to defend the Dutton Ranch with them. What was it like getting to film that big shoot-out scene in the finale?
Michelle Randolph: I’m so happy she finally had her moment of strength, because she’s changed a lot. From Season 1 to Season 2, she started out this very innocent bright-eyed young girl, and then reality has hit her over the head, and tragedy.
To have that moment and show that she has a lot of inner strength is so necessary for her — to then at the end of the episode show that I can stay [and] fight, but I’m choosing to leave out of survival.
A lot of Elizabeth’s character growth comes from the relationship she has with Helen Mirren’s character Cara Dutton. One of the big highlights in 1923 Season 2 was the chemistry that you and Mirren shared on screen. How would you describe working with her?
Randolph: Helen’s wonderful. Honestly, she’s just the nicest, sweetest woman — and then getting to work with her on top of that. She’s so present on set. She loves what she does. She’s passionate about the character. I like getting to share scenes with her. I know that forever this is going to be a huge career highlight for the rest of my life. I learned so much just watching her, not even the advice that she gave me.
Is there anything with either of your characters that you feel is unfinished, or a moment that you wish you had in 1923, but that didn’t happen?
Aminah: I think [Teonna’s] whole life is unfinished, honestly, and I feel the same for Liz. They’re so young. They’re so young and yet they’ve been through so much. And I’m just so curious to see how what they’ve been through informs the rest of their life.
I think they’re both extremely strong women and you see that, especially for Liz towards the end of the storyline. How tenacious they are. I think they’re both very headstrong and in a good way. I’m more curious about what they grow to become.
Aminah, there was an interesting duality that Teonna had between wanting peace, but constantly being embroiled in violence. What was it like for you to explore that aspect of her character?
Nieves: When people do want peace, you have to go through the darkness. You have to go through some type of chaos or suffering in order to really have a breath. You can’t just get peace through saying, oh, I’m just going to have peace today. You can’t just be naive about it. And especially in this moment — this is such a reality and a deep, dark reality of so many different people that have built America to what it is today.
And I believe that if you want peace, you really have to be able to be okay with the fact that sometimes getting there is going to hurt, and it’s going to come at a cost.
Michelle, audiences now know that Jack Dutton didn’t survive the 1923 finale. What was your reaction when you learned that Jack was going to die?
Randolph: I was shocked. Oh my gosh, I had to reread the script a few times. It just came out of nowhere and it was just over before you knew it.
You asked earlier, what if we could go back and have an extra scene, what would it be? And I think for me [it would be] a goodbye scene with Jack, or just something to show how much they really do love and care about each other, because I think it wasn’t enough.
The complete series of 1923 is now streaming on Paramount+.
