‘1883’ Star Gratiela Brancusi On Thomas’s “Selfless Love” For Noemi

One of the most resilient and compelling characters on Taylor Sheridan’s Western saga 1883 is the fiery Noemi, played by Gratiela Brancusi. In Episode 3, she comes to the forefront after her husband is killed by bandits during an attack on the wagon party. Desperate and alone in a strange country with two children, Noemi tries to survive the only way she knows how: by securing another husband. She propositions Captain Shea (Sam Elliott), but he and his second-in-command Thomas (LaMonica Garrett) refuse to take advantage of her difficult position and vow to help her and what’s left of her family make it to Portland alive.

The many hardships and deaths endured by our intrepid settlers have been at the forefront of the series, but in the background, Noemi and Thomas were quietly falling in love. Given his harsh life experiences and his lonely time as a buffalo solider, Thomas was unaware of what was happening between them. In Episode 6, Noemi has reached her breaking point. After Thomas buys her a silver mirror in Doan’s Crossing, she has to explain to him what love is before he can acknowledge what is truly happening between them. In a beautiful and tender sequence, Noemi and Thomas consummate their romance. With a perilous journey west ahead of them, viewers can only pray they make it unscathed to Oregon and freedom.

Over a Zoom call, we had the opportunity to speak to Gratiela Brancusi about her first on-screen role, what she’s learned from her 1883 co-stars, and why Thomas’s love for Noemi is “selfless.”

DECIDER: You’ve done theater in the past, but 1883 is your first on-screen credit. Can you talk about your path to the role of Noemi?

GRATIELA BRANCUSI: I fell into theater by teaching in prisons, actually. I was part of this theater rehabilitative program, and I had to go through a lot of training before I could become a teaching artist. After that experience, theater became my passion. Before the pandemic hit, I never really thought about doing film because the theater really nurtures my heart. However, when all the theater world shut down, my best friend pushed me to start auditioning, and I was lucky enough to find a manager.

I got the audition for 1883 when I was in Romania. I was traveling and was staying in a friend’s apartment. I made the audition tape during the worst lighting ever [laughs] without any professional enhancements. I was embarrassed to send the tape in, but five days later, I flew back home to LA and they told me I had booked it.

Can you talk about a bit about Noemi’s backstory? How did you collaborate with creator Taylor Sheridan on the character?

We did talk a little a bit. What I really love about Taylor is that he trusts his actors to know their characters. Like Noemi, I’m of Roma descent. I was born in Romania, and people often confuse Romanian culture with Roma culture. They are two separate things. I certainly was aware, however, that the Roma people were subject to ethnic cleansing for a very long time in Europe. So I understood that Noemi and her family came to this country seeking freedom from persecution. The journey is a risk that she and her husband have to take to make sure their children are safe.

With her head scarf and clothes, Noemi stands apart from the other pioneers. Were you able to collaborate with the wardrobe department on what Noemi wears? What was costume process like?

Our costume designer, Janie Bryant, and her entire department are so talented. I really love them so much and I miss them. We did have conversations about Noemi’s wardrobe and about how a Roma woman would have dressed. For example, we knew that the lower part of the body was considered impure during that time period. It still is in some traditional communities. When they wash their clothes, they’ll wash the skirt in a different receptacle than the blouse. So, Janie and her staff handled Noemi’s outfits with this difference in mind. They were so supportive and really helped me build the character of Noemi, which I was grateful for.

I spoke to Eric Nelsen who told me he went to cowboy camp to train for his role in 1883. Did you have to attend pioneer camp beforehand? What preparation did you do?

I was at cowboy camp too! We got there about two weeks before the production started. It was a full-on camp led by the most wonderful team of wranglers. We met at seven or eight every morning, and we rode horses, drove wagons, shot guns and roped all day. Before this experience, I hadn’t been on a horse. I had never even touched a rope, you know? I felt so behind that I asked the wranglers if I could come on our days off to ride and rope and do whatever I could to catch up. I got to shadow them as they managed the ranch and cared for the animals. It was so fun!

We see Noemi in the background at first, and then her character becomes front and center in Episode 3. Even in her most desperate moments, Noemi shows strength by accepting Shea’s and Thomas’s help and not giving up. How did you prepare for the scene in which Noemi offers to become Shea’s wife?

That was the first scene I shot. I thought about the fact that Noemi had just lost her husband and was still reeling from the trauma she had experienced back in Europe. She had seen a lot of death, but this was the first time she was totally on her own. What’s scares her the most is that something might happen to her children. I tried to convey that she found strength within herself to continue because of them.

The first scene you filmed was opposite Sam Elliott. What is he like as a scene partner?

He is one of the most, if not the most, generous artists I’ve met. He couldn’t have been more supportive in that scene. I’ll never forget that day. He made sure that I felt empowered. Throughout the filming, I always noticed how protective he was of other people, especially those who had less experience than him. He really rubbed off on all of us. We all learned from him and will take his spirit of generosity to the next projects we work on.

As 1883 progresses, Thomas is becoming one of the touch points of humanity on the show, thanks in large part to his relationship with Noemi. Aside from his obvious good looks, what do you think draws Noemi to him?

In a way, they have similar backgrounds. Sometimes, you can sense a shared… I don’t want to say trauma, but they know what it’s like to experience great loss. They sense that in each other. She sees that he is an outsider in his own land, just the way she’s felt her whole life back in Europe. That brings them together in many ways.

Episode 6 features the consummation of Thomas and Noemi’s relationship. Thomas is so oblivious that she has to explain that he’s in love with her by saying, “Me letting you take care of me is not fear. It’s loving you back.” Can you talk about preparing for that scene?

It’s such a great scene. I had to watch it the other day because I had to do some ADR since we filmed it on a particularly windy night. I teared up just watching it. LaMonica is such an incredibly generous person and brings that to the character. As Thomas, he’s not afraid to be vulnerable or to tap into his innocence. I don’t know that Thomas had experienced love before. In this scene, Noemi is starting to understand that. That’s why she feels she needs to spell it out for him. She’s much wiser than him in that sense [laughs].

Also, it’s clear Noemi can take care of herself. She taught herself how to use a shotgun and is able to kill a rabbit and a rattlesnake for dinner.

What’s really beautiful is that Thomas empowered her to do those things. He’s taught her skills and built her up to a point where she doesn’t need him, which is such a selfless love. That’s also part of why she’s so taken with him.

You and LaMonica Garrett have amazing chemistry. How were you able to build that connection? 

During cowboy camp, we were together the whole time. It was him, me and James [Landry Hébert] in the same bunkhouse. We called it the “old folks house” because we had a rocking chair and it was just perfect. LaMonica and I would wake up at the same time in the morning, and we’d go work out together. He has an incredible discipline in his workout, and I wanted to just piggyback on that [laughs].

What’s it like working with him on set?

LaMonica’s so easy. There’s nothing not to like about LaMonica [laughs]. He’s been so kind to me during this entire process. It was my first time working on a set, and he was always making sure that I understood how things work. Everyone in this cast has been so generous. I couldn’t have asked for a better ensemble. They’re just good, kind people

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