Sam Elliott is celebrating tonight with a SAG Award win for his gritty and emotional performance as Shea Brennan in Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone prequel, 1883. The intense storyline and the gritty performance Elliott lends to the Yellowverse is something fans treasure, especially as Brennan was a fan-favorite character across the Dutton family story as a whole.
His camaraderie and sense of leadership helped the Dutton family as they navigated a tumultuous and painful journey west, trying to survive against drifters, enemies, and the elements that all seemed hell-bent on destroying them. Without his unyielding sense of determination, it’s entirely possible that things would have ended very differently for our favorite family.
Taking home the SAG award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Limited Series, Elliott was honored for portraying Shea Brennan, and the win was well deserved.
Other nominees in the category were Steve Carrell for The Patient, Taron Egerton for Black Bird, Paul Walter Hauser for Black Bird, and Evan Peters for Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. While each nominee portrayed a beautifully crafted character in incredibly well-acted roles, Elliott came out on top, unsurprisingly to those who have been longtime fans of this unique family story.
When we learned of his win tonight, a particular scene from his journey in 1883 came to mind; it was a moment when he was consoling Elsa after she lost Ennis, and he told her something he’d never told anyone else.
“I’ll tell you a secret. I’ll tell you why I’m still sucking air today. I’m headed to the ocean. An Apache scout told me once, that when you love someone you trade souls with them. They get a piece of yours, and you get a piece of theirs. But when your love dies, a little piece of them dies with you. That’s why it hurts so bad. But that little piece of him is still inside you. And he can use your eyes to see the world. So I’m gonna take my wife to the ocean. And I’m gonna sit on the beach and let her see it. That was her dream. Then I’m gonna see her. That’s my dream.”
Always ready to lend a piece of his heart to someone in need, Brennan was a light in an otherwise heartwrenching journey, even when he felt so much deep pain. While his story didn’t end in the way fans expected, it was a conclusion that made sense to him; he set out to achieve something, and he didn’t stop until he ensured that he’d fulfilled a promise.
You can see 1883 in its entirety streaming now on Paramount Plus; we’re congratulating Sam Elliott for his big win.