Seeing as she has one of the biggest storylines in 1923, you would think Alexandra (Julia Schlaepfer) would have signed some huge multi-season contract with producers to stay on the show until 2023 inevitably airs. Turns out that’s not the case at all.
In an interview with The Mirror US, Schlaepfer revealed that despite her Africa story arc where she is impregnated by Spencer, she really had no idea whether 1923 showrunners wanted to keep her.
“When I got the role I didn’t know how many episodes I was going to be in,” she said. “I only had two episodes sent to me so I didn’t know if she was going to stay with Spencer (Brandon Sklenar) or whether she was going to be a blip on the radar.
To be fair, a dangerous sea voyage to Montana is daunting but something tells us she’s at least going to have the child before anything happens to her. She also spoke about what it was like filming in Africa with Sklenar, calling her arc “so special.” She said she would marvel at how “epic” and “exciting” their story was and how incredible it was to see people resonate with it.
“We were in the middle of nowhere in Africa filming what felt like this very private little Indie movie almost, because we were out there on our own being like ‘We don’t know what’s going to happen.'”
Of course, the true stalwarts of 1923 are Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren. Schlaepfer also revealed how she would have loved to get more screen time with the two legends. “All the time I can get with those two is precious.”
She said Ford and Mirren are “the best people in the world” and “so kind and so funny, they just led our cast with such grace and humility.” Schlaepfer took the time to give those two legendary actors their propers, saying it was a “dream come true” to work with them and learn from them and just to simply be around them.
There’s also the rabid fans of the show, who Schlaepfer said have “been lovely” despite her not knowing what to expect when she auditioned for the part. On that note, she told People how showrunner Taylor Sheridan told her she would “go through a lot” as Alex.
Before he wrote episode 3, Sheridan called Schlaepfer and explained that Alex was a young, pregnant immigrant trying to come to America and for “all intents and purposes” she’s basically unmarried because the marriage isn’t legally recognized. He wanted to make sure she would be “okay with going through that” because the whole thing was going to be “very dramatic.”
A big part of the reason she was okay with the whole difficult arc was because, “it’s a real story so many people went through.” She also has a personal connection to the material. “My great-grandfather immigrated through Ellis Island with $15 in his pocket, and so I was like, ‘Let’s tell it,'” she said.
Published: Mar 13, 2025 12:19 am