1883-tim-mcgraw-reveals-why-he-didnt-want-bring-tim-faith-into-show

‘1883’: Tim McGraw Reveals Why He Didn’t Want to Bring ‘Tim and Faith’ into the Show

Over the weekend, Entertainment Weekly shared a recent interview with 1883 stars Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. The country music icons are both two of the genre’s most popular singers and have been for decades. Yet it’s their fame that made the couple distance themselves from their real life for their roles in the hit Yellowstone spinoff.

McGraw and Hill have each had long and successful careers in the music industry. However, each has acted in the past as well. McGraw has starred in Friday Night LightsThe Blind SideThe Shack, and more. Hill doesn’t have as many acting credits to her name, but she’s earned supporting roles in 2004’s Stepford Wives and 2017’s Dixieland.

When 1883 creator Taylor Sheridan offered the couple leading roles on the series, they knew they’d face some challenges. The married couple wanted to bring their chemistry to James and Margaret Dutton. But they wanted to leave the rest of their relationship at home so fans didn’t get the characters confused with the country music stars they are off set.

“We realized coming into it as well, we had a pretty high bar to reach for people to not see Tim and Faith on screen,” Tim McGraw said. “You know because of our careers and being married for so long, it’s going to be hard for people to not just see Tim and Faith.

“So in my mind that was one of the reasons I didn’t want to run lines together and work on scenes together. We didn’t want to bring us into… I mean ‘us’ sorta metaphorically because of our relationship and chemistry and all those things. But we didn’t want to bring Tim and Faith into the scene. We wanted it to be James and Margaret all the time.”

‘1883’ Star Tim McGraw Shares Advantage to Working with Wife On Set

Tim McGraw and Faith Hill each had reservations about joining the 1883 cast early on. Since then, things have worked out well for the whole cast as Yellowstone fans tuned into the spinoff in droves. In fact, 1883 had the largest ratings debut for a new show on cable TV since 2015. The premiere drew in 4.9 million viewers, which is impressive to say the least.

High ratings surely helped to squash the couple’s concerns of working together on the Paramount series. Yet there was one other huge reason Tim McGraw enjoyed working with his wife on 1883. As any good partner would, Faith Hill helped keep her husband in line on set.

“In the middle of a scene, there are little gestures that she’ll give me,” McGraw said to FOX News. “Like when she knows that I’m off track a little bit, she’d give me that look to set me back straight.”

Since 1996, when the couple tied the knot, the couple has worked together many times. Yet that’s usually within country music, not acting. They’ve recorded eight duets together and have shared the stage on countless occasions. However, 1883 is the first time the famous singers have worked on the same film or TV project together. Their experience over the years working together translates to acting as well.

“[It’s] just like when we’re singing on stage, and I’m singing flat on my harmony part,” McGraw continued. “I’ll get that look from her and I know I better straighten up because I’m not doing this well enough. So we definitely have that sort of communication between us.”