1883 actor Eric Nelsen revealed how costar Sam Elliott put him at ease during his first day on set after he found himself nervous to meet him.
“I was cautious coming into it, kind of tiptoeing to get to know him a little bit at first,” explained Nelsen. “But I’m pretty sure the first day he wrapped his arms around me and gave me the biggest hug and said, ‘Let’s do this, buddy. We’re going to nail it.’ And so, from that moment on, I was like, ‘You’re amazing, and you’re giving, and you’re kind, and you’re everything I wanted you to be. And I didn’t need to be nervous around you at all.’ And he made that very clear from the first moment.”
The 1883 star then elaborated on why meeting Elliott made him nervous. The latter is, of course, an acting legend with numerous iconic roles to his name. As a result, Nelsen was afraid that his mental image of Elliott wouldn’t line up with reality. However, he discovered he was wrong.
“Intimidated may be the wrong word, but he’s got this aura and this greatness to him,” said Nelsen. “And his body of work just embodies everything I would ever want in a career. So that alone just kind of… Well, it’s not like they’re unapproachable. But you expect people like that to be a certain way, and you’re almost nervous. Because if you get to know them and they let you down and they’re not who you think they should be, or who you want them to be in real life, it would disappoint you.”
Eric Nelsen Reveals How Sam Elliott Comforted an Extra on 1883
Additionally, Nelsen told the story of how Elliott made a nervous extra feel better.
“One of our first days filming, we were in a restaurant in Granbury, Texas,” said Nelsen. “It’s my first introduction scene in Episode 1. And at the top of the scene, an extra is supposed to come in, pour us water, and then leave the scene. Well, she was so nervous because, of course, I’m at the table with Sam Elliott. And she comes over, and the first take, right out the gate, she’s shaking. And she spills the water all over the table, all over us.”
He then added: “I was like, ‘Oh man, this isn’t good. An actor like Sam Elliott, who’s focused and trying to get this done and expects professionalism and yada, yada, yada. I bet he’s not going to be happy because he got wet.’ And the whole take was ruined. But before the next one, he stops everybody. He can see that this extra’s in the corner, just shaking and nervous, and can’t believe she’s got to come do this again. Well, he gets up, he gives her the biggest hug. He talks to her for about 15 minutes. I’m not sure what she says, or what he says to her; but she comes back and nails it every single time after that.
“And that just showed me, right away, the kind of man that he is. He made her feel so good and so welcome, and that he was just a normal person, just like she is. And there’s nothing to be nervous about, and you’ve got this, and gave her the whole pep talk. And she came back and was phenomenal from that point on. So that’s just a little look into who Sam Elliott is,” he concluded.