How Dawn Olivieri Got to Play Different Characters in Both 'Yellowstone' and '1883'

Dawn Olivieri had a two-episode arc on '1883' before being cast in the fifth and final season of 'Yellowstone.'

By Megan Behnke

Dawn Olivieri was pulling double duty on Yellowstone and spinoff 1883. The actress joined Yellowstone as Sarah Atwood, beginning with Season 5 in 2022. A year prior she had a two-episode arc in 1883 as Claire Dutton, and it was quite a surprise to many seeing her pop up on the parent series as a completely unrelated character.

In a previous interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Olivieri revealed how her Yellowstone role came about. She admitted that she didn't get to say goodbye to anybody on 1883 since she got COVID the night before her final day of filming. For the premiere, she "got dolled up. I told hair and makeup that I wanted them to make me real bombshell-y – the complete opposite of Claire." Olivieri recalled how no one recognized her until she told the it was her, including creator Taylor Sheridan and his wife, Nicole Sheridan, who pointed it out and "it was like a semi-truck hit Taylor."

"All the hair and makeup was just for that moment, because he was so blown away that there I was, completely different," Olivieri shared. "He said, 'You're coming to work for me now.' I was real cool about it, but after I went into the corner and screamed like a little girl! Because it's like your dream offering." It's certainly a testament for an actor to be able to play two wildly different characters, especially when it's for shows that are in the same "universe." She isn't the first actor to play more than one character in a franchise, and she won't be the last.

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While fans have seen the last of Claire Dutton on 1883 following her tragic death, Sarah Atwood has been making her mark on Yellowstone's final season. It should be interesting to see what will happen in the final episodes of Yellowstone, premiering on Nov. 10 on Paramount Network after quite a long wait. It's certainly been worth it, though, even if Kevin Costner won't be appearing as John Dutton again.

While waiting for the end of Yellowstone, fans can watch the series and 1883 on Paramount+ to see the stunning transformation between Claire Dutton and Sarah Atwood. It's always fun to see how much of a range an actor has, and Dawn Olivieri certainly has a wide one.

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