Netflix celebrated the premiere of The Abandons on December 3 at the Tudum Theater with a Western-themed red carpet that had the buzzy feeling of a family reunion. Red carpets tend to blur together, but this one had a strange consistency to it. Reporting for The Knockturnal, almost everyone I spoke to ended up talking about the same thing: cowboy camp.
Created by Kurt Sutter, The Abandons is set in Washington Territory in 1854 and follows two opposing matriarchs whose families clash over land, loyalty, and survival. But standing on the carpet, it quickly became clear that the plot wasn’t what the cast wanted to talk about. What kept coming up instead was the physical work, and how much it changed the way they related to one another before filming even began.
Diana Silvers lit up immediately when cowboy camp came up. “My horse Rusty was the greatest gift ever,” she said, explaining that what initially sounded daunting quickly became something she loved. “It was honestly the two best weeks of my life. We learned how to lasso, steer wagons, cut cows.” She described her character as “tough, brave, misunderstood,” and admitted she tried to take Rusty home. “I wanted to,” she laughed. “But I guess I need season two for that.”
Lucas Till spoke about cowboy camp more practically. “There was a moment when we were all in this pen separating cows from each other,” he said. “After two weeks, we could do it seamlessly.” The work was exhausting. “You’re using muscles you’ve never used before,” he added. Still, he called the role “one of my favorites of all time,” and promised he meant it.
Natalia del Riego described riding as something that pulled her out of her head entirely. “It forced me into the present,” she said. “My character, Lilla Belle, is really one with her horse.” She spoke about Lilla losing her family at eight years old, and how that loss defines everything that follows. “There’s a before and an after,” she said, describing the series as driven by betrayal, love, and constant tension
Gillian Anderson described her character as a sharp departure from previous roles, including Jean on Sex Education. “She’s ruthless, and she feels like she has a righteous pursuit,” Anderson said. “She believes she’s doing good for America and is focused on the bigger picture.” It is her first time playing a true villain, something she spoke about with clear enthusiasm. She also took a moment to praise Lena Headey, saying, “I was so impressed with her and what she brought to every scene. We have some fair showdowns.” Headey described her own character differently. “Mine is more grounded. More earthy,” she said, before adding, “I also got to fist fight, which was fun.” This was said plainly, like it was just another perk of the job.
By the end of the night, what stood out most wasn’t the Western theming or the scale of the production, but how often the cast returned to the same early experience. Cowboy camp came up too frequently to feel like a throwaway anecdote. It seemed to be the thing that leveled everyone out before they ever had to play family on screen.
The Abandons premieres December 4 on Netflix.