Tom Hanks Joined Yellowstone 1883 Cast For An Amazing Reason

Tom Hanks recently made a cameo appearance in the Yellowstone prequel show 1883 and joined series star Tim McGraw.

By Apeksha Bagchi | Updated

tom hanks yellowstone 1883

The Yellowstone prequel series, 1883, recently debuted and it is already on its way to becoming one of the best shows offered by Paramount+. And what is making the series an even bigger hit is its trend of featuring famous faces in its Season 1 episodes, with the latest being the cameo appearance of Tom Hanks in Episode 2, “Behind Us, A Cliff.” But unlike the other guest stars set to appear on the series, the two-time Oscar-winning actor had a special reason for saying yes to 1883

The Yellowstone prequel series, 1883, depicts the story of how the previous generation of the Dutton family migrated from the Old West to Montana and acquired the land that would eventually be known as the Yellowstone Ranch. The series recently debuted on Paramount+ with two episodes, with the latter including a flashback scene to the aftermath of The Battle of Antietam. This particular sequence saw Tom Hanks popping up as a general named George Meade who helps the series’ protagonist, James Dutton (Tim McGraw) come to terms with all the bloodshed and carnage he had witnessed. But why did Hanks agree to the brief cameo?

Turns out, casting McGraw as the lead brought 1883 more than just rave reviews- it gave the show the chance to feature a special appearance from Tom Hanks! In a chat with Cinemablend, McGraw revealed that he and his wife, Faith Hill (who plays Margaret Dutton, James’ wife, in the series) have been best friends with Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson for 25 years. Thus when McGraw came to know about the character in the series, he simply gave Hanks a call and asked whether he would be interested in doing a cameo in 1883. “And he goes, ‘Tell me when to be there,’ and he just showed up’,” McGraw added. 

The fact that Tom Hanks took time out of his hectic schedule for Tim McGraw proves that apart from being a celebrated actor, the Saving Mr. Banks star is a reliable friend as well. Hanks currently has a lot on his plate, ranging from upcoming films to tv series. The year 2022 will see the actor star as Tom Parker, the sole manager of Elvis Presley, in Elvis. Directed by Baz Luhrmann, the film is currently scheduled to be released in June next year. He is also involved in Walt Disney Studios‘ live-action adaptation of Pinocchio, wherein he will play the role of Geppetto. 

Tom Hanks is also set to star in HBO’s World War II miniseries based on the book Masters of the Air by Donald L. Miller as well as Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City alongside Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, and Adrien Brody.

Created by Yellowstone’s Taylor Sheridan, 1883 has been bringing in high viewership ratings and has already nabbed the title of the most-watched original series on Paramount+. While it is highly unlikely that Tom Hanks’ General Meade will return in future episodes (which drop every Sunday on the streamer), we have many more guest appearances to look forward to in the show.