See Harrison Ford And Helen Mirren Reveal They Needed Literal Battery-Operated Underwear To Deal With Montana’s Frigid Cold In 1923: 'They Have The Longest Extension Cords'

I realize “Winter is coming” is a sentence used to describe Game of Thrones, not the Yellowstone universe. However, when it comes to the season of 1923 that’s airing on the 2025 TV schedule, I find it quite fitting. Winter is truly hitting the Duttons hard this season, and it’s presented them with some brutal challenges. It turns out, the cast had to deal with that cold too. However, as Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren noted, they had things like battery-operated underwear to keep them warm.

Throughout Season 2 of 1923, the cast has been open about filming in Montana during the winter, and it truly was not easy. In a video posted on the show’s Instagram, Harrison Ford said that with wind chill, it could feel like 21 below zero while they filmed. So yeah, I think the battery-operated underwear and various layers also described in this silly clip featuring the Jacob and Cara Dutton actors were warranted:

So, to recap how they dealt with the freezing temperatures: Ford asked Mirren how she handled the cold, to which she said:

However, the warm clothing didn’t stop there. In fact, they took it a major step further as Ford chimed in to say:

Now, as someone who grew up skiing, I know the value of heated boots and gloves. However, heated underwear was not something I was aware of. It’s honestly brilliant though. I’m not kidding, Montana winters are no joke. They’re freezing cold, and it’s hard to imagine filming a full show during it.

However, thanks to the fact that this prequel is filmed 100 years after it takes place and technology has advanced a ton since then, they could “grin and bear” the cold in a safe and tolerable way. Plus, I bet it allowed them to take in the beauty of the state during the winter, as the actors closed out their comments on the topic by saying:

• Helen Mirren: It was really, really, really cold, but beautiful.
• Harrison Ford: With the Montana cold you just got to grin and bear it.

It really does sound like you just have to grin and bear it and make sure you have lots of spare batteries and a good extension cord. While it’s kind of funny to think about Mirren and Ford sitting on the Dutton Ranch in giant coats with cords following them around or fiddling with the batteries on whatever heated clothing they’re wearing, I’m happy they had it all.

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While this cast obviously isn’t facing the actual hardships their characters go through – like getting attacked by strangers, slapped by Cara, attacked by a wolf or stuck in a blizzard – it’s still not easy to film this show. They’re out in the elements and literally braving the cold to make it, so it makes me happy that they have the resources to make the series safely.

Plus, it makes for a good story later.

So, now, as we continue watching 1923 with our Paramount+ subscriptions (new episodes drop on Sundays, by the way) and theorizing about how Season 2 could end, take a moment to appreciate the cast and the cold they endured. Then, make sure to say thank you to their winter clothes and their heated underwear too, because it helped them get through production on this epic (and cold) season of television.