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‘1883’ Star LaMonica Garrett Opens Up About Thomas And Noemi’s Relationship

LaMonica Garrett knows a lot about his “1883” character; he’s in his head, he knows his background, and he recently opened up about Thomas’ relationship with the Romani widow Noemi. He spoke about Thomas’ softer side, and Noemi’s gift, and where the two are going from here.

Garrett spoke in conversation with TV Insider; when asked why Thomas gave Noemi the mirror from the trading post, Garrett replied, “Yeah, as comfortable as he is on a horse and with a gun and handling himself and knowing the terrain, he’s awkward with women. He’s not a wordsmith, he’s not a smooth talker.”

He knows that she’ll appreciate a gift, though. He’s said before that Thomas and Shea have money, but live “below their means.” So, Thomas had to funds to get Noemi a gift. She didn’t quite know what to think about it, and equated it to a marriage proposal. She started talking about their future together, but Thomas was just doing something nice because he likes her.

Garrett continued, “But if he just feels like it’s something that she would like without knowing why, I do that sometimes with my wife and she’s like, ‘What is this for?’ ‘I don’t know. I thought you’d like it, you bought those shoes and they kind of match.’ You want to do something nice. You just don’t have the words to describe it.”

Neither of them seem to know what the mirror means; Thomas thinks it’s just a gift, but it means a lot to Noemi, obviously. Thomas doesn’t know how to express his more vulnerable feelings without feeling exposed. Noemi is making him feel exposed.

“That mirror was just something that caught his eye,” said Garrett. “He said it’s pretty, and it was pretty, but the explanation for it was a little awkward. And I think that’s funny, coming from Thomas.”

‘1883’: LaMonica Garrett Says Thomas’ Awkwardness is ‘Really Special’

LaMonica Garrett spoke about his “1883” character with Entertainment Weekly recently as well, and highlighted the same aspects; his awkwardness and shyness around women.

He brought up when Thomas gives Noemi the mirror, and she starts talking about marriage. He’s a little taken aback. According to Garrett, “He just thought she would be like, ‘Oh, thank you for this.’ It was a little bit more than Thomas is used to. He was like, ‘Why can’t you just take the gift and say ‘thank you’ and we can be quiet?’ There’s an awkwardness to him that I think is really special.” 

That shyness and awkwardness adds a new level of humanity to Thomas; he’s not just a soldier, or a former slave, or a cowboy. He’s also a human being, he gets uncomfortable, he’s shy. There’s this image of Thomas from the beginning of “1883” as this unshakable force to be reckoned with. But he’s not just that; he’s soft, and vulnerable with people he cares about.