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‘1883’ Star Faith Hill Thinks She Could Have Made the Journey in Real-Life

“1883” isn’t strictly about the journey westward to a new life – the trek plays a large part and it’s no doubt treacherous. But it’s also about the characters and their internal struggles. However, when asked if she thinks she could have braved the elements in real life and successfully made the journey, Faith Hill didn’t hesitate to say yes.

Speaking in an interview with CBS Mornings, Hill opens up about her character and journey. While she says that the elements “push the limits” of what her character is able to do, the “1883” actress says you just do them – and you find you survive.

“It pushes the limits of your character – of things that you think are impossible or that you would never be able to do or pull off or survive – you do. Because it is truly about your life,” Hill says.

And the actress is getting the real experience. Not only does “1883” take the scene and make everything in it as authentic as possible (thanks Taylor Sheridan) the actors are also really learning how 19th-century pioneers felt.

This includes learning to drive a covered wagon, which Faith Hill does seamlessly. But that wasn’t always the case. All the actors were sent to Taylor Sheridan’s cowboy camp in order to fine-tune their skills on a horse or learn entirely. They spent time working with the covered wagons as well. And Faith Hill had to really hone this skill because she’s onscreen with the wagons so often. And her husband and co-star Tim McGraw says he is really impressed by how well she learned.

Tim McGraw on Faith Hill Learning to Drive Wagon for “1883”

“I mean, I grew up riding horses, but being on the wagon was something that was really intense and really took a lot of work,” McGraw said.

He went on to say that:

“And Faith spends the most time driving the wagon during the show, so she spent a lot of time doing that to where she’s pretty expert at it now,” the actor continued. “I mean, that’s a harder deal than people think it is, to drive a wagon. Those things can get really serious really quickly, especially when crossing the river. It’s just so treacherous and so dangerous. I mean, you never knew where the holes were in the river. You never knew how deep it was.”

In fact, one of the most harrowing scenes is when Faith Hill experiences grief over the loss of several travelers after attempting to cross the river in their wagons. And while it may have given you flashbacks of playing “Oregon Trail” games in grade school, seeing the event play out was truly heartbreaking.

The next episode of “1883” airs on Sunday, Feb. 6 on Paramount+.