Yellowstone 1923 has finally arrived on Paramount Plus, with viewers able to binge the entire second season of the hit prequel series

Harrison Ford as Jacob Dutton (Image: PARAMOUNT)

Yellowstone 1923 has made a return to Paramount Plus, featuring Andy Dispensa as Luca, an engaging Italian character who joins Spencer Dutton (portrayed by Brandon Sklenar) on his voyages. Andy’s role as Luca was brief but impactful, as his character met a tragic end at a road block.

Andy Dispensa’s portrayal of Luca in Yellowstone 1923 is a standout moment for the actor, drawing on his Italian roots to enrich a show that’s shaking up the Western scene. Initially trying out for a different part, Andy quickly impressed the casting team and bagged the role of Luca in a whirlwind 24 hours, with a dedication to authenticity evident from his work with a dialect coach on his accent.

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While Dispensa brought to life the fictional Luca, his cousins — the brothers Sam and Rosario Maceo from Palermo, Sicily – were based on real people. Speaking to various media outlets within Reach Network, he shared: “Sam and Rosario Maceo traversed to Galveston where they ran the city politically and criminally throughout most of Galveston’s free era, in the 1910s and 20’s.

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Sam Maceo was based on a real person

“I’ve read that apparently they also played a role in the rise of Las Vegas. The Hollywood Dinner Club where Spencer has his first taste of pizza in episode two was a real place they owned and Sam Maceo was indeed an infamous bootlegger.”

Heaping praise on the show’s creator for his attention to historical details, he remarked: “Taylor Sheridan really does his homework and it’s one of the reasons he’s built a towering TV empire.

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“His stories are so full of specificity and knowledge, philosophy and inspiration at every turn.”

Known as the Maceo Syndicate, the notorious gang operated illicit enterprises such as illegal gambling, prostitution, bootlegging, and racketeering.

Sam capitalised on Texas’s gambling fever by constructing an underground gambling kingdom in Galveston City and County, joining forces with infamous mobsters.

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Speaking of his character Luca’s intense story arc in season two, Andy said the emotional scenes were challenging. To prepare for the demands of his role, he shared his strategy: “I exercise a lot and meditate to try and be as open as I can. But you really don’t know what’s going to happen till you get into it. Ben Richardson, our director, definitely helped me a ton with where I needed to go.”

Andy Dispensa as Luca in 1923

On reflecting upon memorable experiences during production, he enthused: “The epic scope you’re walking into on a set like 1923 is just an actor’s dream. The sets are so lifelike, they put you right there in the time period.

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“Taylor Sheridan really does his homework and it’s one of the reasons he’s built a towering TV empire.”

“His stories are so full of specificity and knowledge, philosophy and inspiration at every turn.”

Opening up on some of his favourite moments from filming, he added: “The epic scope you’re walking into on a set like 1923 is just an actor’s dream. The sets are so lifelike, they put you right there in the time period.

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“We filmed the coal room scenes for episode one my first day, and walking into that, on this giant soundstage, was incredible.

“The scene where Luca and Spencer talk about their respective journeys and get to know each other, that was special to me, it felt real.

“But just being out in Texas too, seeing all the cows as you drive by, being on a ship coming into shore on location. My ancestry is from Palermo where Luca is from, so to have the chance to mirror my great grandparent’s immigration journey, getting off a boat and stepping onto American soil, that was surreal and very cool. A gift for sure.”

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