‘1883’: Tim McGraw Tells Outsider the Parallels Between His James and Kevin Costner’s John Dutton on ‘Yellowstone’

1883‘s own James Dutton, Tim McGraw, chats with Outsider on the similarities between his character and Kevin Costner‘s and what he’s passing down to the modern-day Duttons of Yellowstone.

Tim McGraw’s passion for 1883 radiates. It’s far from his first acting role, but by all accounts feels to be his favorite by far. While speaking during the show’s roundtable prior to the premiere, McGraw opened up on the thru-lines he sees from his James on down to Costner’s John and everything in between.

“First off, I don’t think you have to be a Yellowstone fan to watch this show,” McGraw smiles. “You can not ever have seen Yellowstone and watch 1883 and you completely get it.”

On the flip side, however, McGraw tells me he thinks 1883 will make audiences want to watch Yellowstone if they haven’t. “And if you are a Yellowstone fan, man, you’ll want to see this.”

1883 fleshes out the Dutton family history by leaps and bounds. McGraw’s excitement for this is paramount even in our early morning interview, and he’s as eager to find the similarities between the two shows as fans are.

“You’ll get to see: where did this fire come from? This steeliness. This love of family,” the country music icon continues. “Where did it all come from? Why is it so ingrained in this family?” he offers.

“I think you’ll see that with our characters. I think in Isabel and Faith’s characters [Elsa and Margaret Dutton] you’ll see where Beth Dutton comes from,” he laughs. This is absolutely worth noting, as these two incredibly tough women’s blood pumps strongly through Beth’s veins, indeed.

From ‘1883’ to ‘Yellowstone,’ Tim McGraw Says It’s All About Family ‘Regardless of the Rules’

As for his James and Kevin Costner’s John, McGraw says he sees it most in his character’s “love of family. His determination to do anything for his family regardless of the rules. Regardless of what’s right or wrong. Regardless of what the world might think, he will do anything for his family. And I think you’ll see that from James on down to Kevin.”

While John Dutton has certainly made some questionable decisions with his family, McGraw hits the nail on the head. John is obsessed with lineage, tradition, and family. He’s not always right in what he does, but everything he sets out to do is in the name of preserving the Dutton dynasty for future familial generations.

“But Faith also likes to say that she thinks that since she’s Kevin’s great-grandmother that he looks more like her than he does me,” McGraw smiles of his wife.

We’ve already seen just as much of that John Dutton steeliness in Hill’s Margaret as we have his James, too, so this goes far beyond just looks. And we can’t wait to see the rest of their journey together unfold.

1883 continues exclusively on Paramount Plus.