Saying that 1883 actor LaMonica Garrett is proud of his work on the new show would definitely be a huge understatement.
LaMonica Garrett first broke onto the acting scene thanks to his role on Sons of Anarchy. You probably recognize him thanks to his role as Sheriff Cane, which he played on the series from 2011-2014. However, now he is getting ready to star as a cowboy on the Yellowstone spin-off 1883.
Now, LaMonica Garrett has always been a big fan of Western movies. As a matter of fact, his favorite Western of all time is the 1992 Clint Eastwood film Unforgiven. But as he was growing up, he rarely saw other Black actors in the movies and shows.
“I get emotional about it,” he told Deadline. “My background, my parents’ background…my dad, his family, a lot of brothers and sisters, they were sharecroppers in Mississippi. My mom, she was raised by a woman who was born a slave, her grandmother, and it’s significant.”
As you can imagine, LaMonica Garrett and his family have had to overcome a lot of obstacles for him to be in this spot. And other Black actors who made appearances in Westerns in the past never had their names actually pop up in the credits.
“The opening credits of a show weren’t usually there for Black actors. Raymond St. Jacques was the first, in the last season of Rawhide when there was a sketch of his face. And Otis Young was one of the first to have his name in the opening credits of The Outcasts. There was Danny Glover, though they didn’t have the faces in the opening of Lonesome Dove.”
‘1883’ Star Cried After Seeing His Name in the Credits
The cast and crew of 1883 were fortunate to be able to see their work come to fruition. They were able to watch the first two episodes of the show at a theater in the town they were staying. Garrett didn’t want to go at first, but he’s glad he did.
“So, having my name and your face in the beginning as one of the stars of a Western, in that tintype, black and white, old…I saw that at the theater a couple of weeks ago in Amarillo. They showed it for the cast and crew and at first, I didn’t want to go because I didn’t want to see things that might get in my head or affect my performance.”
However, Garrett’s name and face were in the credits. And that was reason enough to make the tough cowboy shed some tears.
“But as I saw it, and my face popped up…I haven’t cried that much since my friend’s funeral, four years ago. It affected me. I don’t know where it came from. Knowing the history of it, and doing my research, and just knowing what I saw and what I didn’t see growing up, it all came to that moment right there on that screen.”
