‘1923’s Julia Schlaepfer insisted on telling Alex’s harrowing immigration story, regardless of how uncomfortable it was to watch

Julia Schlaepfer revealed some of the grittiest details about Yellowstone in a recent interview. Even her character, Alex, wasn’t spared from the brutal reality of being a woman in 1923—the Yellowstone prequel.

Schlaepfer, in an interview with Collider, talked about her admiration for her character—Alexandra, Duchess of Sussex. Despite her love for adventure and rosy view of the world, Alex had to brave a terrific immigration experience. When asked about the uncomfortable medical examination scene in the third episode, Schlaepfer discussed why she felt safe filming it.

According to Schlaepfer, Taylor Sheridan asked if it would be okay for him to write the pervasive scene. “Absolutely. I want to tell that story. It’s what so many people went through,” Schlaepfer told Sheridan. She also praised intimacy coordinator Sarah Scott and the rest of the crew for making her feel safe.

“It took us about eight hours in total to get that scene, but everyone handled it with a lot of grace, and I felt I was really able to have a voice if I ever felt uncomfortable or needed a break,” Schlaepfer added with regards to the scene. It may have been a grueling thing to witness on screen, but those involved in production seemed to have prioritized the cast’s safety in Schlaepfer’s account.

Celebrating small victories

Alex came from a noble family, but she chose love and adventure instead. Although it’s cheesy and heartwarming, reality is anything but. While eloping with Spencer, Alex faced the dangers of lions and elephants—essentially, all the horrors of Kenyan wildlife. But the medical examination and immigration scene relay a visceral and pervasive type of threat that women fear.

To be approved into the country, Alex had been examined—as she puts it, “like cattle”—by” three male doctors. The immigration supervisor wasn’t any better and hurled verbal insults at Alex, to which she fought back with grace and dignity.

“I do think throughout the season it’s all about the little victories that she encounters and that she finds for herself,” Schlaepfer said of the grueling scene. “So, that scene was such a joy to film in a very odd way,” she added. Schlaepfer added that they filmed the scene with the supervisor right after the frightening examination episode. In its way, it might explain why Schlaepfer looked exhausted—frankly, done with the way the American immigration system treated her character. Winning that one verbal spar with the officer was a vindicating moment for Alex, who had already been put through so much just to make it to America.

Nevertheless, real immigrants to the United States aren’t as lucky as Alex. Female migrants make up the largest bulk of trafficking victims in the United States. When another aspiring female immigrant spoke to Alex post-medical scene, she implied having to “trade favors” to gain entry into the United States. This grim reality still persists. Those who don’t share Alex’ fortunes can easily fall through the cracks.