Here’s your inside look at the Paramount+ western drama series Lawmen: Bass Reeves, Season 1 Episode 4, created by Taylor Sheridan.
Lawmen: Bass Reeves Cast:
Dennis Quaid, David Oyelowo, Forrest Goodluck, Lauren E. Banks, Barry Pepper, Grantham Coleman, Demi Singleton and Garrett
Stream Lawmen: Bass Reeves now on Paramount+!
Lawmen: Bass Reeves Cast:
Dennis Quaid, David Oyelowo, Forrest Goodluck, Lauren E. Banks, Barry Pepper, Grantham Coleman, Demi Singleton and Garrett
Stream Lawmen: Bass Reeves now on Paramount+!
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TVTranscript
00:00 I'll lay my trophies down.
00:02 All down at Jesus' feet.
00:05 [gun cocks]
00:06 [gunshot]
00:07 [tires screeching]
00:09 [car engine revving]
00:11 No trouble here, man.
00:13 Well, there you go.
00:15 Looking just like trouble.
00:16 I really love this moment in the show
00:19 because it's playful, but it's also one of the most famous stories
00:24 about Bass Reeves, this sort of MacGyver quality he has
00:28 of being able to go in and portray characters.
00:32 I done told you this here's Joseph, Joe Gamble.
00:35 He knows the good book and done more chores today
00:38 than either of you.
00:39 When we first got together, we said, "Okay,
00:41 what's episode four about?"
00:42 Every scene in this thing had drawn a direct reference
00:46 from Bass' life at that time.
00:48 The Doll Over Boys is one of the more famous cases
00:50 that Bass worked.
00:52 He goes to great lengths to ensure that
00:55 no blood is shed in the process.
00:57 He would use, ultimately, his own skin color as a disguise
01:01 because in the beginning, very few outlaws
01:04 would expect a black lawman.
01:05 So he would use that to his advantage.
01:07 [men grunting]
01:10 [thud]
01:11 [dramatic music]
01:14 [birds chirping]
01:15 It's sort of quite meta for me, being an actor
01:18 portraying a character who's acting within the show.
01:21 There's an inherent fun to that,
01:23 and this is a real moment to celebrate the fact
01:25 that this was a man who had a real intuitive skill set.
01:29 [dramatic music]
01:32 Old Mr. Sundown.
01:35 Now, he was a slave catcher.
01:36 Ramsay's a man who has firsthand knowledge
01:40 of the direction the country's headed.
01:42 See old Mr. Sundown,
01:45 you'll never see the sun come up again.
01:47 Yeah, Ramsay's a really unsettling character,
01:50 especially as played by Rob Morgan.
01:52 He sort of has this other world.
01:55 Quality to espouse and evoke
01:58 these sort of scary stories
02:01 that really rile up the men,
02:03 and I think rile up Bass as well.
02:05 He ran!
02:08 Run!
02:10 Enough.
02:11 And it leads to quite a bit of acrimony
02:13 between Ramsay and Bass.
02:15 [dramatic music]
02:16 [men grunting]
02:19 [dramatic music]
02:21 [men grunting]
02:24 Can I kill this crazy old fool, Bass?
02:26 It's a goddamn blight.
02:27 Bass Reeves preferred to fire his weapon in self-defense.
02:31 He wanted to save them, try to turn them around,
02:34 save their souls if he could.
02:35 This was a deeply devout man who was very lethal.
02:39 There ain't no law here.
02:41 This is hell.
02:43 Until God say otherwise,
02:46 I'm the only law there is.
02:49 [grunts]
02:50 [birds chirping]
02:51 [dramatic music]
02:53 Long days?
02:55 Too long.
02:56 Ready to wrap home.
02:57 Miko is a very dominant, real individual.
03:00 He cared about the safety of his community,
03:02 the safety of those in the surrounding area.
03:05 And so when it came to Bass Reeves,
03:07 he assisted Bass.
03:08 Got anything for me?
03:10 Day back, saw a white man guiding two paints
03:13 in the Palomino west of Jakarta.
03:16 It was important for us to touch on a light horseman,
03:20 which was the all-American Indian police force
03:22 that was charged with policing the Indian territory.
03:25 This was a very strong group of people
03:28 that were very connected to the land and fearless.
03:31 And they assisted him in catching the non-native outlaws
03:34 that came into Indian territory.
03:36 Sorry name, steak daughter at the deadline.
03:38 Big bounty, man gunner.
03:40 You too.
03:42 I said I was looking for a sign.
03:44 Let's call.
03:44 Give me a do quick.
03:46 Before I start busting them all.
03:47 It's just all of these artists that have come together
03:49 in this project.
03:51 We're getting to play in like this real life version
03:53 of history.
03:54 And as a result, the scenes are coming out pretty awesome.
03:57 [screaming]
04:00 Easy, Carl.
04:01 We need to dance.
04:02 Get some clothes on.
04:03 Let's leave these folk in peace.
04:05 Preparing the actors in this scene,
04:07 I've rehearsed a lot with them.
04:09 And I have my doubles do everything first.
04:11 We really had to plan to make sure everyone
04:13 was on the same page.
04:14 We don't go into this with sort of like this immovable rock
04:17 of goals for the day.
04:18 We just say we want to get the day.
04:20 And the day is going to be beautiful.
04:21 There's a lot of stuff that happens in the room.
04:23 Whoa.
04:24 Put the gun down.
04:26 He's at gunpoint.
04:27 Silas jumps out the window.
04:28 He hits the balcony that's above the bordello.
04:31 He grabs a flag.
04:32 It breaks away.
04:33 Lands in a wagon below him.
04:34 He tries to make a run for it and doesn't get very far.
04:39 Look out.
04:40 Hey, stop.
04:41 But even with all of the planning,
04:48 the challenges come in.
04:49 Timing out where he lands, working with effects,
04:52 the way that we go about things.
04:53 We have them set up the flag in a good way.
04:56 Landing in the wagon, those are the complications there.
04:58 Horses, obviously, they're a live animal.
05:01 And that comes with needing to have people
05:03 that are very familiar with all the elements that
05:05 come into that.
05:06 We have a lot of stuff going on.
05:08 And it's a lot of fun.
05:10 I helped.
05:11 I was something sweet to his wife over in Jenks.
05:13 Didn't know nothing else to do.
05:15 His wife's name.
05:17 I thought it was Grace.
05:18 Playing Bass in this show, it's a very physically demanding
05:23 role.
05:24 It's also an emotionally demanding role.
05:26 This thing out here been so hard.
05:31 God didn't give me the tongue to tell it well.
05:34 One of the most moving things generally
05:37 is when a group of people come together with a common goal
05:39 in order to achieve something beautiful.
05:42 And I think that's really something
05:43 that I'm seeing evidenced here.
05:45 [music playing]
05:49 [door opening]
05:50 [music playing]
05:53 (dramatic music)