"The greatest compliment you can pay an actor is to say they brought your imagination to life," Sheridan explained. "That's what she did." Sheridan went on to describe how May's performance perfectly encapsulated the "innocence and hope" of a young America, and how she manages to keep the show bright no matter how brutal the journey might get. "I wanted her to be that one vibrant thing, and never lose that as she became wiser through the journey."
Sheridan went on to say that he hopes to work with May again in future projects, calling her a "generational talent" and praising her once again for her acting chops. From the way Sheridan talks about her, it's clear that Isabel May's performance is really what helped him find the meaning within the series, and that she managed to bring his vision to life in ways he could have scarcely imagined. This revelation about how crucial May was behind the scenes makes Elsa's death all the more heartbreaking, and one has to wonder what the next season of "1883" will look like without Elsa Dutton around to keep things bright.
