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‘1883’ Star Isabel May Admits How Relieved She Was When Elsa Got a Pair of Pants

“1883” star Isabel May had to undergo some interesting challenges while portraying Elsa Dutton. 

Between dirt makeup, lengthy body hair, and traveling on horseback, the ensemble cast of “1883’ certainly got an immersive experience. For Isabel May, there was one moment in particular amidst “roughing it” that gave her some much-needed relief. 

For the first few episodes of the series, Elsa Dutton rides around the ranch in a dress. While it may look nice, it’s definitely not the most practical wear for riding a horse. Finally, in Episode four she gets the opportunity to make a trade that wins her some pants. With the worry of blistered legs now off her back, she can breathe a little bit. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, May says she was just as relieved as Elsa to finally have some pants. 

‘1883’ Star Isabel May Shares the Moment She Felt Most Relieved

“I was looking forward to that moment so much,” the star gushed. “I can’t express my relief. It’s very uncomfortable to ride in a corset and a big, thick, heavy skirt. Between that outfit and the pants outfit, it’s a remarkable difference, to say the least, while riding.”

However, despite her newfound comfort, there were still some downsides to her new ensemble.  The actress added, “Although, when I was wearing those pants, I just felt like I was wearing a diaper because they were extraordinarily large on me. But that’s fine. It wasn’t supposed to be flattering, let’s just say.”

Even if the pants were not the most fashionable choice, Isabel May found the humor in how goofy they looked. “It was funny walking around in them and feeling like an Oompa-Loompa. I don’t even know what an Oompa-Loompa is, but I’m assuming that they wear uncomfortable pants,” she said with a laugh. “So it was an interesting experience. The whole thing was great. I don’t know when I’ll ever be able to do something like this again, so I’m just savoring it as much as I can.”

Wearing diaper-like trousers wasn’t the only unusual thing May had to do on set of “1883.” The star also shared that the show’s creator, Taylor Sheridan, had the women grow out their natural body hair. His vision was to make things as realistic and true to the times as possible. “Everyone was freaking out about it because all the ladies on set had to grow their hair out as well. I think it’s rather nice,” May said, as reported by Hello Magazine. “Taylor said from the very beginning, ‘I want everything to be authentic.’ I mean, women didn’t start shaving until the 1920s. He really wanted that to be an aspect of the show, and so I was more than happy to oblige.”