Darren Mann from ‘1923’ Reflects on Jack Dutton’s Dilemma in the Wild West

Jack Dutton, son of the late John Dutton Sr. and Emma Dutton, met his end in Taylor Sheridan’s Western series, “1923.” His demise occurred when he crossed paths with two of Banner Creighton’s men just outside the family’s ranch. Darren Mann, who portrayed the youngest Dutton on screen, expressed his disappointment upon learning about his character’s fate, acknowledging the common occurrence of characters meeting such ends in Sheridan’s productions.

Despite being instructed by his great uncle Jacob to stay behind and safeguard his wife Elizabeth and great aunt Cara, Mann shed light on Jack Dutton’s motivations. Mann explained that Jack was driven by a desire for vengeance following the challenges faced by the Dutton family, particularly the death of his father. Describing Jack as a man of action, Mann shared that his character took a calculated risk to ensure he was involved in the fight to protect Jacob, a decision that ultimately led to his downfall.

Mann expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to collaborate with Sheridan on the popular Paramount+ series. He praised Sheridan’s skill in crafting compelling material for actors to work with and appreciated the creative freedom granted to him in shaping Jack’s backstory. Mann also cherished the experience of working alongside screen icons Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren, describing them as remarkable individuals he was honored to work with.

Mann spoke with Decider during a virtual press day to discuss Dutton’s demise, the experiences he gained on set, and which show in the SheridanVerse that he’d like to pop up in next.

DECIDER: I can’t help but think that this episode is Taylor Sheridan’s version of “The Red Wedding.” What was your reaction when you read the script? Did you get only your scenes or the whole thing?

DARREN MANN: I had the full scripts. They were trickled out to me, maybe like one a week over the summer prior to shooting. I kept just anxiously anticipating, wondering how this would wrap up and whether Jack and Elizabeth were going to take over the ranch, you know? Then I got episode six and was like, “damn.” The odds of somebody taking a bullet on a Taylor Sheridan show are pretty high [laughs].

I know Taylor Sheridan is very accessible to his actors. Were you able to have any conversations with him about Jack and his arc during your time on the series?

I got to spend a little bit of time with him when he came to dinner during cowboy camp. I picked his brain and collected as much info as I could . Though, part of Taylor’s success is who he casts on his projects. It’s a long process, at least it was for me. He writes such great material that there’s a beautiful outline there for you to work with as an actor. He gives actors a lot of freedom. I had the opportunity to fill in the blanks and to come up with some of Jack’s backstory. I found it liberating.

In Episode 6, Jacob leaves Jack with the most important mission of all: protect Elizabeth, their unborn child, and Cara. Why do you think he can’t obey his great uncle?

This winter was very challenging for Jack. He was desperate to get revenge for his father’s death and everything else that’s gone wrong for the Duttons. Every time he has wanted to do something, he has been told no by his family. For a guy like Jack—who is a man of action—to be handcuffed like that was so difficult. He wanted to make sure to be right in the fight, protecting Jacob. Jack sat and stewed for as long as he could on the ranch until he couldn’t take it anymore. He just had to get up and do something. He took a really calculated risk and it didn’t pay off.

There’s an innocence and naiveté that Jack and Elizabeth share. He totally lets his guard down when Banner’s men admit that they’re on the livestock commission. Why do you think Jack was never hardened like the rest of his family?

That naiveté comes from a pure heart as opposed to ignorance. He takes everything at face value. With Jack, what you see is what you get. He really believes everybody else is like him. He never thought for a minute that these guys from the livestock commission would have twisted intentions. Jack’s just such a beautiful, trusting guy. Unfortunately, that’s where he gets taken advantage of. He’s too truthful, too innocent, too open with his emotions. It’s sad that a guy like Jack can’t survive in a world like this. He’s too sweet of a soul.

I am dreading the next episode when Elizabeth will likely find out about Jack’s fate. Do you think his last thoughts were of her?

Yes. I think he hopes she will find her happiness. He hopes that she falls in love with this ranch like he did. He hopes that she too can find all the beautiful things that the ranch offers. They’ve got a child coming, and I am sure that he’s so glad that he got to leave her with a part of himself. Legacy is everything to the Duttons, especially in a world that requires the next generation to take over.

You and Michelle Randolph have done beautiful work to bring Jack and Elizabeth’s love story to life. What was it like working with her?

It was awesome. I’ll never forget when I first got our first call sheet for Season 1. I was a little nervous to see who was playing Elizabeth because she and Jack are supposed to have great chemistry together. That’s a lot of pressure on an actor. When I saw Michelle’s name, I called her right away and was like, “You’re Elizabeth.” We had done a movie together 5 or 6 years earlier called House of The Witch. It was her first film , actually. We played boyfriend and girlfriend, and we had stayed friends since then. I knew we were going to be able to do their love story justice.

In addition to Michelle, you also got to act in a lot of scenes with legends Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren. What struck you the most about your time on set with them?

They are two of the most amazing people I’ve ever met or gotten to work with. Just the way they carried themselves on set was incredible. They’re the ultimate leaders, and I feel like they were the best role models for young actors that I could ever ask for. They were just so open and helping. You could tell they love the craft of acting. They love the work.

They’re not just showing up to set and phoning it in. They wanted to talk out scenes; they wanted to do more takes. They were so present when working with Ben, our director. That’s how I want to be when I’m still acting at 80 years old. I would always look at Harrison and think, “he’s a great role model.” I hope I can be like him for someone else someday.

It’s rare on a TV series that actors are able to work with one writer like Taylor Sheridan and one director like Ben Richardson. We’ve talked a bit about Taylor, but what about Ben?

That guy is a wizard. I am so impressed by him. Every day that I watched him work I marveled: “wow, this guy not only can run an A and a B camera, but he’s running cameras C, D, E, F as well.” That would be incredibly overwhelming for anyone else. Not only did he know exactly what he wanted from each camera, but all the shots looked absolutely beautiful.

In addition to his technical knowledge, he was able to give perfect, quick, precise notes here and there to his actors. I loved that. He kept the momentum on set going. He never bogged you down with too much info that could potentially get you confused. He knew exactly what to say that would help reshape the scene in the best way. I loved working like that. I really hope that I’m working with him again soon.

Well, the SheridanVerse is vast! Is there any other show in the Sheridan canon that you would maybe be interested in next?

Any of them? [Laughs] All of them. Tulsa King, I really like the weed store they run. That would be cool. Mayor of Kingston, wouldn’t it be cool if Jeremy Renner’s character had an estranged son or something? How about 1944? If Jack and Elizabeth potentially have a son—and I have no idea if they do or not—who’d be better to play him that the actor that played his father? I’m just spitballing here, but I would be into any of them! Let’s go.