ACTOR BRANDON SKLENAR - A LEADING MAN AT LAST

THE BREAKOUT STAR OF 1923 AND IT ENDS WITH US SHARES STORIES FROM HIS LONG ROAD TO SUCCESS

- ERIC ANDERSSON

Brandon Sklenar learned early on that hard work can lead to rewards. “I come from a lineage of blue-collar workers, and I grew up on a job site, so I started swinging a hammer when I was 10 years old,” says the New Jersey native, 34, whose dad worked in construction. “That just breeds a certain type of thing: You do your best, and hopefully good things happen.”

He’s proof of that principle. At 19, Sklenar threw his belongings into garbage bags and drove cross-country to pursue a career in Hollywood, landing small roles on TV series (New Girl) and in indie films (Mapplethorpe). After plugging away for more than a decade, he got his big break in 1923, the hit Yellowstone prequel on Paramount+. The ruggedly handsome 6’2” Sklenar shot to fame as Spencer Dutton, a dashing World War I veteran and game hunter. The show, he says, “changed my life.” 1923 wrapped up its two-season run with a heartbreaking finale on April 6, just five days before his new movie thriller Drop—starring Sklenar and