Tim McGraw says brutal toll of filming 'Yellowstone' prequel pushed him to edge: 'Wouldn't have survived'
Tim McGraw was pushed to the brink while filming Taylor Sheridan's Western drama "1883."
The country music superstar revealed that the brutal production schedule left him questioning how much longer he could keep going. Between 14-hour shooting days, six-day workweeks and late-night flights for concert performances, McGraw said the grueling experience was unlike anything he and his wife, Faith Hill, had faced before.
"If it had gone on any longer, I probably wouldn't have survived, put it that way," McGraw told Esquire.
The "Live Like You Were Dying" singer described the demands of filming the "Yellowstone" prequel.
"I learned a lot, certainly because it was such a tough shoot," McGraw said. "I think we shot for right around six months. It was a long shoot. Five or six months. It was close to it. And we shot mostly six days a week, and like 14 hours a day."
But filming wasn't McGraw's only commitment.
The country star was also juggling concerts, sometimes going straight from the set to an airplane before returning home in the middle of the night and starting the cycle again just hours later.
"And during that time, I had a handful of shows that I had to do," he explained. "So there were times that I would finish up around six o'clock in the evening, jump on a plane, go do a show and then get home at 1:00 in the morning, then be in the gym at 3:00 and be in the makeup chair at 5:30, 6:00. So, I had a few of those."
Although "1883" followed the Duttons' journey from Texas to Montana, much of the series was filmed in Texas before production moved north. The cast also endured a rigorous cowboy camp, learning to ride, rope, work cattle and shoot guns before filming began.
"We all got to do it together, which was an incredible experience," "1883" co-star Eric Nelsen previously told Fox News Digital. "But it was a time for us to get comfortable on our horses, to learn how to cut cattle, how to rope, how to shoot guns – all the things we're going to have to do on the show."
The real test came on set. McGraw and Hill recalled filming a dangerous river crossing around 3 a.m. on their 25th wedding anniversary, with temperatures hovering around 36 or 37 degrees, according to Entertainment Weekly.
The grueling schedule left little room for sleep or recovery.
"I told Faith it was probably the hardest job we've ever had. I had some hard jobs growing up."
McGraw then revealed how close the demanding schedule had pushed him to his limit.
Despite the physical demands, McGraw said the experience was worth it, particularly because he got to work alongside Hill and Sheridan.
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"It was tough, but it was worth it because we were getting to work together, and we were getting to work with Taylor, who was fantastic, and like I said, a brilliant writer."
McGraw also said he gained a greater appreciation for preparation, explaining that the demanding production taught him the importance of arriving on set ready to work.
Although McGraw had previously appeared in films, "1883" marked his first major role in a television series.
The demanding shoot also required McGraw to contend with unpredictable conditions on set.
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"The elements were always fighting us, and you were working with animals, and you were working with extras, and you were working with horses, which I grew up riding horses, so it was fun for me," McGraw said.
"But I think I learned more than anything is there's so much value in preparing. And the more you prepare and the more you're ready to do what you're going to do, it takes away a lot of the nervousness."
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McGraw and Hill starred as James and Margaret Dutton in "1883," which follows the couple's perilous journey across the Great Plains in search of a new life in Montana.
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"1883" traces the roots of the Dutton family's Montana ranching legacy, long before the events of "Yellowstone."
Sheridan initially tapped McGraw for a flashback appearance in the fourth season of "Yellowstone" before developing the standalone prequel, which debuted in December 2021.