Did you know Alex in 1923 was royal? I sure didn’t. However, she is, and recently Julia Schlaepfer, who plays her, spoke about her character’s title, and Brandon Sklenar did too. While I’m still kicking myself for not realizing this on my own and well before 1923’s Season 2 premiere on the 2025 TV schedule, the Spencer Dutton actor’s thoughts on it as well as the Alex actor’s feelings about her title make me realize why I never truly thought about it.
In my defense, this wasn’t revealed until the finale, and I had a lot of other things on my mind then. I was far more concerned about Alex and Spencer being separated and what was going on in Montana with everyone else, and I wasn’t thinking fully about the specifics regarding why they were being separated. However, in the Season 1 finale, it’s revealed that Alex is the Countess of Sussex, and the Earl of Sussex doubts her marriage to Spencer, which is part of the reason why they were forced in different directions.
So, in the lead-up to this upcoming Yellowstone show’s return, the 1923 cast member behind Alex opened up about this shocking fact with TV Line, saying:
It’s funny. When I began that journey, filming Season 1 with Brandon [Sklenar, who plays Spencer] in Africa, and you’re telling this grand love story, I kind of forgot I was an actor. And I think Alexandra forgets [about being royalty] because she doesn’t want that title. She doesn’t want to be a caged bird.
Going into the project Schlaepfer knew this too, as Taylor Sheridan told her that Alex was based on a real person, Alexandra, the Countess of Sussex. However, she was told not to do much research, because 1923 is fully fictional.
The actress also went on to explain that Alex is very “oppressed” by her family, and she makes a very active decision to leave them behind. So, she’s trying to forget about it…the actress even admitted that she was shocked by the Countess reveal in the Season 1 finale too. So, that partially explains why I never noticed this fact.
However, it’s Brandon Sklenar’s take on Spencer’s feelings toward this title that really convinced me of why I never noticed it. He said:
I don’t think he gives a s–t. I don’t think he cares at all.
Now, that explains it.
I love 1923 in great part because of Spencer’s story, and in a lot of ways, we see his and Alex’s romance through his point of view. We’re following him on his journey back to his family, and his now-wife just jumps onto the rollercoaster with him. We aren’t focused on her past, because we’re hyperfocusing on his past and their future together. So, quite frankly, if Spencer doesn’t care about this title, and there’s no reason for him to harp on it, I won’t either. Therefore, I understand why I never fully realized Alex was royalty.
Now, I’m very curious to see if this title impacts Alex’s story in Season 2. Schlaepfer said her character has “chosen to leave that family behind,” so if it’s up to her, I don’t think we’ll hear much about it. However, as she travels to Montana, I imagine her past (and that includes her status as a royal) could come back to haunt her.
Luckily, we don’t have to wait long to find out about all of this, because 1923 will return for those with a Paramount+ subscription on Sunday, February 23.