Tue. Nov 5th, 2024

Harrison Ford is here to stay on the small screen.

On Friday, Paramount+ announced that their record-breaking drama series 1923 will return for a second season — something that didn’t come as too much of a surprise since the series premiere was the most-watched ever for the streaming service in the U.S.

The Yellowstone prequel stars Ford as Jacob Dutton, an ancestor of the character Kevin Costner plays in the present-day series. With wife Cara (Helen Mirren) by his side, the series follows the Duttons as they navigate the hardships of the era, including Western Expansion, Prohibition and the Great Depression.

Hours before news broke that 1923 would be back, the Today show aired a pre-tapped interview with Ford in which the legendary film actor, 80, told Savannah Guthrie that he’d be back if the series was renewed.

“Yeah,” he said immediately, when asked by the NBC morning show anchor, 51, if he would be there for round two.

“I love it, it’s not like interviewing a politician. I got a direct answer. Thank you so much!” Guthrie joked, looking around off-camera, smiling, as Ford laughed. “Well, we can just pack it up and wait for next season.”

1923 is the second prequel series of Yellowstone1883 — which concluded its limited run last February — starred Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Sam Elliott and more, and followed how the Duttons came to own the land that would become the Yellowstone Ranch.

There’s also 1883: The Bass Reeves Story, an offshoot miniseries that will dramatize the history of Bass Reeves (David Oyelowo), the first Black U.S. Marshal west of the Mississippi.

All this has led to a complicated lineage for the Dutton family, which Guthrie grilled Ford about on Today. “I’ve got a working knowledge of it — I could be wrong, but I think I’ve got it pretty clear,” the actor said of the Dutton family history, before joking that he shouldn’t be the one clarifying it.

When Guthrie mentioned how people talk about how grueling these types of sets can be, Ford interjected, “They don’t talk about it, they complain about it.” Is he one of those complainers? “I’m down with it, but it’s sometimes bloody cold,” Ford said.

One thing he has enjoyed about shooting is being out there in nature, and improving his riding skills. “Well the horse went fast and I went with it,” he chuckled at one point, after Guthrie pointed out his reputation of being a strong rider. “The reality of the thing is amazing, I mean we’re out there with 1200 sheep, 800 head of cattle. … They’re really doing it. I mean, when we’re out there with the cows, we’re herding the cows, you know? The actors and the real cowboys.”

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As for portraying a real cowboy and looking the part, Ford clued Guthrie in on how he found the perfect hat after trying on more than 70 ones. “It’s my hat.” Ford said, clarifying that it was “the last one” he tried on.

“You could have saved the costumers’ time and energy!” Guthrie exclaimed.

“I could have, but I didn’t want to use my hat,” the Star Wars icon joked.

Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford attend the Los Angeles Premiere of Paramount+'s "1923"

Elsewhere in the Today interview, Ford opened up about reuniting with Mirren. The two previously played husband and wife on screen in 1986’s The Mosquito Coast, the film adaptation of Paul Theroux’s novel of the same name.

“It was a delight, it was almost as if we’ve been married for 40 years,” he said. “She’s a delight to work with. She doesn’t take herself terribly seriously.”

Ford previously raved to PEOPLE about working with Mirren, 77, again. “I admire her work and her person [now], and I have all the same degree of admiration for her as I did then,” Ford said at the Los Angeles premiere of 1923 earlier this month. “She’s wonderful, she’s just a lovely person, and so it’s been both a professional pleasure and a personal pleasure working with her again.”

1923 is now streaming now on Paramount+.