1883, Paramount’s spinoff to the hit show Yellowstone, nabbed a massive get early on in Season 1 when two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks made a surprise cameo as U.S Civil War General George Meade. Following the appearance, the actor’s wife, Rita Wilson, is reportedly set to also find herself a role in 1883 as well.
The Jingle All The Way and Sleepless in Seattle actress and singer will join the Yellowstone universe in an upcoming episode, per Variety. According to the report, Rita Wilson will play a storekeeper named Carolyn in the prequel series.
Wilson’s 1883 character will work at Doan’s Crossing and help Faith Hill’s Margaret relax with some whiskey punch in the episode. The Paramount+ series stars celebrity couple Faith Hill and Tim McGraw as a previous generation of the Dutton family, who are making a great journey west through the Great Plains.
Tom Hanks became involved in the Yellowstone spinoff thanks to a longtime friendship with Tim McGraw. The 1883 star shared that he and Faith Hill have been best friends with Hanks and Rita Wilson for 25 years. In the spirit of this, McGraw called up Hanks for a cameo in the second episode of the series and apparently Rita Wilson was up for a role as well.
When recently speaking to CinemaBlend about the Tom Hanks cameo, Tim McGraw shared his special experience sharing an 1883 scene with the actor with these words:
We didn't see each other that whole morning, because I didn't want to see what he looked like. He didn't want to see what I looked like, because we know each other so well. So when he walked on set, it was pretty magical. And when he puts his hand on my shoulder in that scene, you could feel the weight of the world between both of them with what had gone on. It was a pretty heavy scene.
After Tom Hanks and Tim McGraw had that memorable scene in Episode 2, it’s only fitting that Faith Hill and Rita Wilson will have a special moment in an upcoming episode as Margaret and Carolyn. Now we’ll have to wonder if Meade and Carolyn are connected romantically in the Yellowstone universe since real-life couple McGraw and Hill play husband and wife on the series.
Rita Wilson is no stranger to guest starring in popular television shows, between her stint in Girls throughout its run and The Good Wife. The 65-year-old actress has been a working actress since an early ‘70s guest appearance on The Brady Bunch. Wilson has juggled an acting career with being a singer/songwriter and the mother of her and Tom Hanks’ two kids Chet and Truman, and is stepmother to Hanks' other two kids, Colin and Elizabeth Hanks.
It has not been announced what episode Rita Wilson will appear on. The fourth episode of 1883 will become available on Paramount+ on January 9, with new episodes coming out every Sunday.
