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‘1883’ Star Eric Nelsen Calls Taylor Sheridan ‘One of the Greatest Gifts To Television’

Though Eric Nelsen will not be a part of “1883” moving forward, the actor has nothing but praise for creator Taylor Sheridan. It seems to be a trend among those who work with him. But given Sheridan’s dedication to his stories, this isn’t a stretch. And according to Nelsen, there’s no one he’d rather work with in the future.

Speaking in an interview with Decider, Nelsen shares his greatest moments playing the spunky role of Ennis. As a cowboy, he’s tough, stoic and will get the job done. But he’s also humble and humorous. And he captures the heart of Elsa Dutton (Isabel May) with his charm. However, in the most emotionally painful way, Ennis tragically dies in the “1883’s” episode five, “Fangs of Freedom.”

And while Nelsen was saddened to learn of his character’s fate, he couldn’t be more thrilled with the experience or the opportunity Sheridan offered him.

“Taylor’s very hands-on. There was never a day on set when he wasn’t involved in some way. I never took a single second of his time for granted. He’s one of the greatest gifts to television and movies today. Plus, he’s loyal. You’ll see the same actors on all of his stuff because he forms this group of people he trusts and connects with,” Nelsen says.

He further adds that,”He knows what to expect from them as far as the work goes. I learned a lot from working with him. Probably the key thing I’ll take away from my time with him is his tendency to hold his people close, knowing that he won’t be let down.”

“1883” Star Grateful for Experience

It sounds like the Texas native may have another opportunity to work with Sheridan at some point. For all of us fans, we hope so as well, because we loved Ennis’ and Elsa’s budding relationship. Nelsen perfectly captured the character and made him into a lovable, gentle cowboy. The “1883” star says every day on set was amazing – and he oftentimes found himself asking how it could get any better than this.

“Oftentimes, we’d wrap a day and look at each other and say, ‘How could it get any better than this?’” Nelsen continues. “This particular day was just another beautiful Texas sunset,” he says of a photo he snapped with Hebert during filming. “And we happened to have had a big scene right before that, where we were pushing cattle. And we’re out there working through this really, really tall grass that your horses can’t even see over it’s so tall.”

Further, Nelsen adds that “blazing our own trails through this really tall grass…finding cattle, trying to herd them in and cutting them through this field. It was one of those days where you don’t feel like an actor at all, because you’re actually living as a cowboy.”