1923 Season 2 Co-Stars Fall IN LOVE On Set? Brandon Sklenar and Julia Schlaepfer’s Epic Journey Blurs the Lines!
1923 may have ridden off into the sunset with its Season 2 finale on April 6, 2025, but for breakout stars Brandon Sklenar and Julia Schlaepfer, the spotlight’s just heating up! Their on-screen romance as Spencer Dutton and Alexandra stole our hearts—and now fans are buzzing that their electric chemistry might be more than just acting. From the African savanna to that gut-wrenching finale, these two didn’t just play a couple entwined in love and loss—they lived it. So, are Brandon and Julia falling in love off-screen too? Let’s spill the tea on their journey, their bond, and what’s got everyone talking!
A Love Story That Felt Too Real
From the moment Spencer and Alex locked eyes in Season 1, it was clear this wasn’t your average TV romance. Brandon, 34, brought a war-torn hunter’s grit to Spencer, while Julia, 30, infused Alex with a fiery, aristocratic spark. Their whirlwind love—surviving lions, sharks, and a deckside duel—culminated in Season 2’s heartbreak: Alex’s death from frostbite after giving birth to John Dutton II. That final dance in the afterlife? Tears everywhere. Fans on X gushed, “Brandon and Julia are Spencer and Alex—nobody else could’ve done this!” But what made it so believable? The actors say it’s the months of trust, preparation, and a bond that went way beyond the script.
Behind the Scenes: A Partnership Forged in Fire
Brandon and Julia didn’t just memorize lines—they became their characters. For Brandon, prepping for Spencer meant grueling physical work: filming in Africa’s blistering heat, tackling action scenes, and channeling a man haunted by loss. “There were days when Spencer’s pain felt like mine,” he told Forbes in February 2025. “The loss he feels is universal—it wasn’t easy, but it was necessary.” Julia faced her own hurdles, knowing Alex’s fate early on. “After two episodes of Season 1, I was like, ‘She’s gonna die,’” she admitted to Brit + Co in March 2025. “But it’s not about her death—it’s about her love for Spencer. I had to be her in every moment.”
Their chemistry? Not a fluke. They spent months off-screen building it—rehearsing, horseback riding, even sharing mani-pedis in Cape Town, as Julia told PEOPLE in April 2025. “We were thick as thieves,” she said. Brandon echoed this to Above the Line: “Julia brings raw honesty. We didn’t just play these characters—we lived them. It was a partnership in the truest sense.” Filming Season 2 apart for so long—Spencer on a ship, Alex fighting to reach Montana—made their reunion scene (shot first, per Julia’s Collider chat) even more intense. “We’d been ripped apart, just like them,” she said. “That shared experience carried us.”
Real-Life Romance or Just Epic Acting?
So, are they in love IRL? The rumor mill’s churning—fans point to their gushing interviews and that “natural chemistry” Julia raved about to Us Weekly in February 2025. “It just happened,” she said of their bond. Brandon’s praise—“Julia’s energy is something else”—only fuels the fire. But hold up: no hard evidence backs this up. Brandon’s been with girlfriend Courtney Salviolo since at least 2022 (spotted PDA-ing at the 1923 Season 2 premiere, per PEOPLE), while Julia keeps her love life under wraps. Their “romance” seems to be a deep, platonic connection forged by the emotional rollercoaster of 1923. “We leaned on each other,” Julia told TV Insider in February 2025. “That trust was everything.”
The Finale That Broke Them (and Us)
That afterlife dance—filmed as their last scene together—was a tearjerker for more than just us. Brandon called it “an out-of-body experience” in a Country Living interview on April 8, 2025. “You’re not prepared for how deep it goes—bittersweet, our last chance to share that connection.” Julia felt it too: “A piece of me died with Alex,” she told Collider on April 7. “It wasn’t just their end—it was ours too.” Brandon couldn’t even watch the finale at first, admitting to EW, “It was too emotional to process.” Their gratitude shines through, though: “It’s a love story for the ages,” Julia said to THR. “I’m so proud of what we created.”
Why We’re Obsessed
Brandon and Julia’s journey isn’t just about 1923’s end—it’s about two actors who poured their souls into Spencer and Alex, making us believe in a love so real it blurred the lines. Whether they’re together off-screen or not (spoiler: probably not), their partnership transformed them—and us. As Brandon put it, “It was personal.” So, while their characters are gone, their story lingers—like Elsa’s voice in Yellowstone, forever echoing. What’s next for these stars? Their careers are soaring—Brandon’s got It Ends With Us buzz, Julia’s a rising name—but their 1923 bond? That’s one for the ages.
