This story contains spoilers for 1923 episode 6.
Howdy, folks. This week, our guest is just as much a surprise to me as he likely is to you. I mean no disrespect to actor Brian Konowal, but before episode 6, I would have been surprised if you even knew that his 1923 character's name is Clyde. That's how quickly Banner Creighton's (Jerome Flynn) Scottish henchman climbed the ladder from a Livestock Commission spy to the man who shot Jack Dutton (Darren Mann). Now, he's 1923's Public Enemy No. 1.
"They're gonna hate me now," Konowal told me over Zoom earlier this week. I had to talk to the actor following episode 6's shocking death, because in all my years of watching TV, I've never seen a background character vault into the spotlight this quickly.Lucky for me, Konowal was also born outside the Philadelphia area. So, after we exchanged a few "Go birds!" and mocked the Delco accent, the actor told me all about his biggest scene yet.
"All credit to Taylor [Sheridan], but when I read it, I was like, Ooh boy," Konowal said of the day he received the scripts for season 2. "I'm all in."
Konowal first appeared as Clyde in season 1, episode 3, when Cara Dutton (Helen Mirren) and Sheriff McDowell (Robert Patrick) hire more Livestock agents. Clyde waxes the duo a story about how he's a former Chicago cop who is just looking for a job. Little do they know, he was sent by Donald Whitfield (Timothy Dalton) and Banner Creighton to spy on the Dutton family. Jack is even standing right behind him in the scene.
"That's what's so great about Taylor, just his storytelling and his foreshadowing," Konowal told me. "He kills this character that everyone loves. You just never know."
Konowal sent in audition tapes to work on both Yellowstone and 1883 before he was finally given the green light to play Clyde in 1923. "I was a huge fan of Taylor's from Sicario, so even before Yellowstone I wanted to work with him and I know I'm not the only one," Konowal recalls. "Plus, I loved Jerome Flynn on Game of Thrones." Now, it's a dream come true for Konowal to work on one of Sheridan's shows, even if his character is now a walking nightmare for Dutton fans.
Though he swears the Yellowstone creator runs a tight ship, Konowal ended up working more with director Ben Richardson on his 1923 scenes. In fact, the director even had some notes for Konowal before he killed Jack Dutton.
"He told me to play it subtle," Konowal recalled, "I did a take, and he said, 'More subtle… like a cold killer.' "
The scene begins in the woods, as Jack mistakes Clyde and his partner for fellow Livestock agents. Jack boasts that the Dutton family will finally have some help once Spencer (Brandon Sklenar) arrives—even though he's "a close second" when it comes to gunfighters on the Yellowstone ranch. Suddenly, Clyde fires away. "If you're a close second, I'm not much worried about the first," he says over Jack's dead body. A cold killer, indeed.
Nowadays, TV has a way of convincing you that a character isn't gone for good until you see the body for yourself. So, Clyde shoots Jack with his pistol for a second time. "Just to make sure he stays dead," Konowal joked over Zoom. "Hopefully Darren doesn't hate me."
We'll see what becomes of Clyde in the finale next week. Right now, no one else in the show is aware that Jack is dead. Spencer has yet to even arrive in Montana. Meanwhile, Alexandra (Julia Schlaepfer) is stranded in a blizzard, and John Dutton's (Kevin Costner) parentage remains up in the air. You can read the rest in my full episode recap here.
"Fans should be ready for some revelations that no one expects," Konowal teased at the end of our call. "I'll say that." Hell, if anyone knows how to keep a secret, it's certainly the man who killed a Dutton.
