Why Elsa Dutton From Yellowstone Prequel Y: 1883 Looks So Familiar

The following article includes mentions of school shooting.

One of the coolest ranch dramas around, Paramount Network's "Yellowstone," took one big step toward becoming a full-blown franchise with the announcement of a prequel series called "Y: 1883." The upcoming series is set to drop the "neo" from the term "neo-Western," as it takes the concept of a prequel rather literally and looks into the ancestral figures of the "Yellowstone" Duttons you know and love. 

It has been suggested that the series may be set in the year 1883 for a very specific, historical reason, but it'll be a while before we find out for certain. What we do know, however, is that the show is going to need some pretty great actors to match the original "Yellowstone" and its star, Kevin Costner. Fortunately, "Y: 1883" has done precisely that by landing three massive stars in its cast: Country icons Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, as well as acting legend and esteemed Western star Sam Elliott.  

There are other fascinating names in the cast, as well. For instance, the actress playing young Elsa Dutton is a particularly interesting one, and as it turns out, you may actually have seen her before. Let's take a look at why Elsa Dutton from Yellowstone prequel "Y: 1883" looks so familiar.

Isabel May's first on-screen credits are from 2018, but despite being a relative newcomer, she's already managed to appear in a number of high-profile roles. Fans of "Young Sheldon," the spinoff of "The Big Bang Theory" that focuses on the adventures of a 9-year-old Sheldon Cooper (Iain Armitage), may very well recognize her as Veronica Duncan, a prominent recurring character who is the romantic interest of Sheldon's brother, Georgie (Montana Jordan).  

Unlike many other characters in "Young Sheldon," it appears that May's character doesn't have a direct adult counterpart in "The Big Bang Theory." However, "The Big Bang Theory" Wiki speculates that Veronica might actually have gotten a stealth reference in the main show before she was introduced in "Young Sheldon," provided she'll return in the show's later seasons. Though Veronica is absent from the show's Season 4, there's always a possibility that she'll make a comeback at some point. If that happens, she might just reunite with Georgie, and potentially even become his first wife at the tender age of 19 ... and, as such, his first ex-wife.

The most certain way to spot Isabel May is without doubt "Alexa & Katie," the Netflix Original show that ran for three seasons from 2018 to 2020. May stars as the goofy but well-meaning Katie opposite Paris Beleic, who plays Alexa, a high school athlete whose life is upended by a cancer diagnosis. Though the format of the show is sitcom, its very premise reveals that "Alexa & Katie" isn't afraid to deal with difficult subjects, and ultimately, the show's heart is the deep friendship between the two main characters.

Katie is a genuinely good person, and a loyal friend who's willing to do anything to make her friend feel better. In an interview with Young Entertainment Mag, May revealed that Alexa and Katie's chemistry in the show has its roots in real life, as she got along with Beleic extremely well. "It was just really natural," May said. "We just kind of got each other right off the back. We did connect through music a little bit. That was definitely something, because you usually don't find kids your own age that relate to you with the kind of music you listen to. We listen to rock and some old school, which was really amazing. Paris is awesome, she's so talented."

If you're worried that Isabel May is all about comedy and might not have the chops to star in a show set in the majestic and often violent "Yellowstone" universe, there's also her starring turn in Kyle Rankin's action thriller, "Run Hide Fight." May plays high school student Zoe Hull, who ends up in the middle of a well-prepared attack by a group of school shooters led by Tristan Voy (Eli Brown). Zoe ends up trying to stay alive during the shooting-turned-hostage situation, attempting to help the officers surrounding the school, and eventually fighting back.

Due to its subject matter, the movie is rather controversial, and critics haven't been overly fond of it (per Rotten Tomatoes). However, May gives the role her all, and prepared extensively for it. In an interview with The Daily Wire, a conservative outlet that recently made a move to movies and distributes the film in North America (via Deadline), the young actress discussed the various challenges of portraying Zoe. 

"It was an interesting challenge to walk this fine line: an otherwise normal teenage girl dropped into an overwhelming and terrifying ordeal," May said. "Zoe, to me, represented the countless real people who were courageous enough to do something and often unrecognized for it." She also had lessons from an expert who's worked with real mass shooting cases, in order to better understand her character's plight. "I did my own extensive research, but to speak with someone who has conversed with so many victims of something so horrific gives you a perspective that is as paralyzing as it is informative," she said. "He offered so much depth into behavior during a shooting that I otherwise would have had no awareness of."