Taylor Sheridan’s 1923 season 2 cast an actor who was a teenage heartthrob in the 1980s, and he looks completely unrecognizable in the Western series. Taylor Sheridan has a long history of working with A-list actors, and his shows seem to draw the absolute best. For example, almost all of Sheridan’s shows on Paramount+ are headed by major stars, such as Sylvester Stallone in Tulsa King or Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren in the cast of 1923. Sheridan has more than a bit of experience working with superstars, and one former teen heartthrob joined that ever-growing list.
The cast of 1923 has grown considerably in season 2 as Spencer Dutton (Brandon Sklenar), Alexandra (Julia Schlaepfer) and Teonna Rainwater (Aminah Nieves) make their way across the country. Thanks to Teonna, 1923 was able to bring in another notable actor: Jennifer Carpenter, who plays Mamie Fossett. She briefly interacted with Marshal Kent (Jamie McShane) and Father Renaud (Sebastian Roché), and that unlikely pairing also let C. Thomas Howell join in on 1923 season 2. It’s also startling just how different Howell looks from his most notable project in the 1980s, even though it has been over 40 years.
C. Thomas Howell Is Unrecognizable In 1923 Season 2
Howell Plays The Cowboy Anders In 1923 Season 2
In 1923 season 2, C. Thomas Howell plays Anders, one of the cowboys in Texas. It seems that Anders is something akin to a wagon boss for the ranch that Teonna Rainwater (Aminah Nieves), Runs His Horse (Michael Spears), and Pete Plenty Clouds (Jeremy Gauna) wandered onto. It’s also notable that Howell looks significantly different while playing Howell than he did as a teenage heartthrob: he has a huge gray mustache and a weather-beaten face that fits with the rough conditions 1923 depicts. Interestingly, Howell’s father was and is a real-life cowboy, meaning this part was likely familiar to him (via The Mirror).
Long before 1923, C. Thomas Howell had his big claim to fame in the 1980s, thanks to a long string of successful movies. In 1982, when he was just 15 years old, Howell played Tyler in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and he starred as Ponyboy Curtis in The Outsiders just a year later. His film career had a major setback due to 1986’s Soul Man, in which Howell appeared in blackface (via Looper), though it has recovered considerably in recent years. Howell had a recurring role in SEAL Team, and he had a main role in 2023’s Obliterated, along with smaller parts in movies like The Amazing Spider-Man.
How C. Thomas Howell’s Anders Affects 1923 Season 2
Anders Began As A Friend Of Teonna Rainwater, But He Put Renaud & Kent On Her Trail
So far, though he hasn’t had much screen time, C. Thomas Howell’s Anders has proven to be a fairly important part of 1923 season 2. Anders was one of the many cowboys who welcomed Teonna, Runs His Horse, and Pete Plenty Clouds into their fold, and he gave them sanctuary for a while. However, in 1923 season 2, episode 5, Marshal Kent and Father Renaud convinced Anders to reveal where Teonna and her group had gone. That led to Kent and Renaud finding the group, and Anders may even be responsible for Pete Plenty Clouds’ death in 1923.
Unfortunately for C. Thomas Howell, it looks like Anders may have had his final scenes in 1923 season 2. Teonna and Runs His Horse will likely continue heading North, and since Spencer Dutton is on a train to Montana, it seems like the show is leaving West Texas behind. There’s really no reason why a cowboy like Anders would crop up again anywhere else, so Howell’s time in the Yellowstone franchise is more than likely over. He may not have played the most important character in 1923, but C. Thomas Howell certainly made Anders memorable.