Brandon Sklenar is from New Jersey (Image: GETTY)
The highly anticipated 1923 prequel to Yellowstone is set to return on The Paramount Network and Paramount Plus come February 23, with Brandon Sklenar reprising his role as Spencer Dutton. In the gripping season one finale, fans were left on edge as Spencer was torn from his wife Alex (portrayed by Julia Schlaepfer) after harrowing news from home beckoned him back to Montana.
Quickly rising to become the series’ most beloved character, 34 year old American actor Brandon Sklenar has also graced the screen in It Ends with Us alongside Blake Lively, and featured in Vice.
Born in New Jersey to a mother of Czechoslovak heritage, Sklenar ventured from his roots post-high school to chase his dreams in Los Angeles, juggling various jobs before a talent manager discovered him at 20.
His first foray into film came with the 2011 release, Cornered.
Blake Lively and Brandon Sklenar seen at a surprise screening of It Ends With Us (Image: Getty Images for Sony Pictures)
In a candid chat with Man About Town, Sklenar shared his journey: “I left right after high school, packed up the car and didn’t tell anybody I was leaving.
“Just left in the middle of the night, very much like a Springsteen song. I told my dad the day before I was going.”
Reflecting on his father’s support, he added: “He said, ‘good luck’ and bought me a GPS because he’s amazing. I worked in construction and on odd jobs to make ends meet, like being an extra in a bunch of movies and TV shows.”
One day, whilst eating at a diner, he went up to a man asking for a lighter and the man asked if he was an actor.
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Brandon Sklenar as Spencer Dutton in 1923 (Image: PARAMOUNT)
That man turned out to be a manager who would go on to sign him, marking the start of his acting career.
In an emotional recount during his interview, he honoured his grandmother who paved the way for his acting dreams with weekly trips to the video store. Recollecting lighter times, he quipped: “She hooked me up with cream cheese sandwiches and a bunch of popcorn.”
Delving deep into his past while speaking with Esquire, he confessed that his childhood persona was all about adopting and living out various characters.
“In those early years I was a lone wolf in my own head,” going on to elaborate that extreme dedication made him say: “I’d go to school in a character for two weeks. No joke.”
The actor also reminisced how effortlessly he would slip into alternate identities, sometimes even contriving fresh dialects: “I’d have an English accent, or I’d just makeup words and languages, and entertain myself that way. I got pretty good at it.”
1923 airs on The Paramount Network and Paramount Plus on February 23