Tim McGraw Is Responsible for Tom Hanks’ ‘1883’ Cameo
Doing what you love for a living is a piece of cake. Doing what you love with the people you love is the icing on the cake. That was the case for Tim McGraw when his pal — and two-time Oscar winner — Tom Hanks agreed to do a cameo on the Yellowstone prequel in which McGraw stars, 1883.
"It was pretty spectacular for Tom Hanks to show up and do the scene," McGraw shares with his label, Big Machine Label Group. "We've been friends for such a long time. We're family friends forever. Our kids are friends, Faith and Rita are best friends, and so to ask him to do this scene and he says, ‘Sure, I’ll be there. Tell me when,’ was just so incredible."
Hanks' short-lived role was that of Civil War General George Meade, who served in the war alongside James Dutton (McGraw). The country singer says the battleground scene "is one of the most moving scenes in the show," as the war left his character with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Having a friend and an acting professional there helped McGraw navigate the heavy moment.
"No matter how good of friends you are and how well you know someone, when you’re sitting there in a scene that’s that emotional and you see Tom Hanks walk up in a Union uniform, and look at you and say, ‘Captain.’ And then he just sat beside me and he puts his hand on my shoulder and he goes, ‘I know.’ I just fell apart," McGraw confesses. "That’s somebody that knows what they’re doin’. He was just really good."
Hanks' wife, Rita Wilson, also got in on the 1883 fun. She and Faith Hill share a scene in which a storekeeper named Carolyn (Wilson) offers Margaret Dutton (Hill) some whiskey punch to decompress. The encounter happens during a stop at Doan's Crossing.
1883 serves as the prequel to Paramount's hit show, Yellowstone. The series follows the journey of John Dutton's (Kevin Costner), great-grandparents, James and Margaret Dutton as they travel from Texas to Montana in hopes of a better life.
Stream new episodes of 1883 Sunday nights on Paramount+.