SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, June 26, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — Chances are that if you’re a “Yellowstone” fan, you’ve seen Utah actor Michael Todd Behrens on screen more than a few times, and now he’s appearing in both the first and second parts of Kevin Costner‘s epic western movie “Horizon: An American Saga.”
Set to be released Friday, June 28, “Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1,” is directed and co-written by Costner, who also stars. The sweeping three-hour first movie, which was largely filmed in Utah, tells the stories of families, friends and foes who discover the lure of the Old West as the Civil War divides the country. It features an ensemble cast including Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Jena Malone, Danny Huston, Luke Wilson, Jamie Campbell Bower and Thomas Haden Church. “Chapter 1” premiered at the 77th Cannes Film Festival in May, to a 10-minute standing ovation.
The saga will continue with “Chapter 2,” scheduled to be released on Aug. 16. Four separate films (not sequels) in total will tell the massive story, with “Chapter 3” reportedly going before the cameras this summer.
We spoke to Behrens the morning after he walked the tan carpet for the Los Angeles premiere of “Chapter 1,” at the Regency Village Theatre Monday, June 24.
“You know, going in and seeing the movie, that was intense and weird having read the script, and then seeing it,” he said. “It’s very distracting, you know what I mean? Just to see little glimpses of yourself, then see my big scene.” He explained that he had not seen the final cut before the premiere. “Yeah, still I’m still trying to process it all. It was kind of bizarre. We’re all just actors. And it was kind of, you know, it’s like when you see behind the curtain.”
Behrens grew up in Sacramento, then moved to Olympia, Washington. He said he really started really loving theater when he attended Alta High School in Sandy. We asked him what it was that initially drew him to acting.
“You know, to break that down, I think it’s a person’s need to be seen,” he said. “To be loved and all that. And, I’ve noticed that, you know, I had like, a whole lot of divorce and stuff when I was young. And I’ve noticed that people that had a normal childhood or less loss, don’t have as much of an interest in it. I don’t know. Definitely in high school and all of that kind of stuff; when I was young I wasn’t aware of too many venues to do that [acting]. I didn’t recognize that as an option. But yeah, I think I’ve always just wanted to do it.”
Behrens entered the University of Utah‘s Actor Training Program for junior and senior year, then stayed on to appear in many local theater productions, particularly for Pioneer Theatre and Salt Lake Acting Company. He’s also worked extensively with Creede Repertory Theatre in Colorado. He and his wife, who is an actor too, moved to the east coast, then moved back after the Sept. 11 attacks. He’s gone on to appear in many TV shows including “Granite Flats” and “Everwood,” and movies including “Saints and Soldiers: The Void” and “Trek: The Movie.”
In “Yellowstone,” Behrens appears in a six-episode arc in seasons one, two and three, playing Doug, who works for a bank collaborating with Paradise Valley on a housing project near Bozeman, Montana.
Behrens talked about how he initially got cast in “Yellowstone.”
“When I went for the callback, I was up against like, a woman, a short, fat, bald kinda Jewish guy, a big tall Black guy, you know, they just didn’t know what they wanted,” he said. “And yeah, that was that. And as that unfolded, I wasn’t aware of or I wasn’t told what was going to come as far as more episodes and all of that, but I kept getting written back in. And I also got a script where I got killed, at one point, in ‘Yellowstone,’ yeah. But they decided not to do that. And I just kept getting invited back.
“So I was on ‘Yellowstone’ for three seasons, six episodes. I was part of the Danny Huston [Dan Jenkins] storyline. It was so cool but I didn’t know… I wasn’t sure who he was initially. And then I just didn’t know it was going to keep going. And I didn’t; it wasn’t ‘Yellowstone’ at the time. It was just like the show I was doing. So it took off and it got really crazy, but then the Danny Huston character got killed. When I saw that I was like, well, I’m done with ‘Yellowstone’ I guess; but I got called back for another scene. And it sounded like [co-creator] Taylor Sheridan was going to write me in for a little more, but they all moved off to Montana. Boy, that was really a great experience.”
He talked more about how he then got cast in “Horizon.”
“Well, I’d heard because I was always following ‘Yellowstone,’ to see what was going to come of that, if I was going to get any more of that,” he said. “I saw that Kevin was shooting this movie in Utah. So I started following that, and I kept on [casting director] Jeff Johnson saying: ‘hey, if there’s an audition, I would love to get a part of that.’ And I, you know, sometimes the way it works is like, I auditioned for one role in ‘Yellowstone’ and didn’t get it, finally got this role. But so, when the auditions came for ‘Horizon,’ I got an audition, and it was a one-liner, and it was for a doctor wearing a suit, and I was like, oh shit, again?! I’m not a cowboy, I’m not a soldier, I’m just in a suit? So I did it, I did the audition. And I didn’t hear for like three months. Like for a long, long time.
“But then, you know, I got it. And then when I went down for my fitting, they put me in the suit; it was a white linen suit. It’s just a beautiful suit; and it’s; you can’t miss me on camera. And it was one of those things like, on set, walking around in that suit, it was all: ‘hey, Doc!’ ‘hey, look it’s the doctor!’ And it was a real trip to just be able to talk to Kevin, to have him say: ‘You had a good audition,’ or that kind of thing. He wrote me into even more for ‘Chapter 2.’ And then when I left, he said he’s going to write me in to ‘Chapter 3’ and ‘Chapter 4’ as well, so I’m very grateful.”
Behrens explained that before the writers’ strike between May and September 2023, Costner’s intention was to make all four films back-to-back, but instead, he made the first two. Filming for the second two is likely to resume this summer. He also explained that the vast majority of “Horizon” was filmed right here in Utah, with a small amount of extra material filmed in Durango, Colorado.
“Kevin personally came to to the legislature, and spoke to them about what he wants to do, and so I think as a result of that, he was kind of committed to shooting, casting and using as much as he could of the Utah contingent,” Behrens said.
We also asked him what his dream trajectory would be from now on.
“It’s so funny because like, theater, you’re in control of your art; in film, and TV, it’s: ‘go sit over there and wait for us to come get you,'” Behrens said. “And then you do a thing, and then shut up and go sit down, and so… but I think I’m going to get some representation elsewhere; New Mexico, for example, to see if I can start getting more shows. I guess I’m finding myself in the western genre, so yes, I need to ride a horse. And you know the whole thing, as an actor: ‘do you ride a horse?’ and you say: ‘sure, yeah.’ I’ve heard stories from other actors where they’ve said they can ride and they have them gallop and stop and hit their mark.
“Austin Archer [another Utah actor who is in ‘Horizon’] he’s got some great stories, where he auditioned and he was always upfront about: ‘I can’t ride, I can’t ride.’ And Kevin wanted him to ride so he started taking some lessons, and when he got on set, he still wasn’t that great. And the head wrangler was really like upset; they’re always on the lookout for actors who say they can ride, but Kevin was like: ‘it doesn’t matter; I want him.’ Austin is also kind of on the same track as me; he got in, got a small part and Kevin was like, I want to write more for you, I want you for the other movies.”
We also asked Behrens what the rest of the year is looking like for him.
“Well, I do construction, so one day I’m installing a toilet, the next day I’m talking to Kevin Costner, ” he said. “It’s all kind of bizarre. I have to stay available. I have avoided getting a real career, and a steady paycheck and everything else, so that I can stay available for acting. So that kind of makes it… money can be tight, but the experiences are amazing.”
For more information about Behrens, click here.
