Everybody loves a villain and when it comes to 1923, no one is better at it than French-American actor Sebastian Roché. In the show, he plays a Catholic priest named Father Renaud, whose sole purpose is to try and get everyone to convert to his version of religion. To do so, he tortured children, including Teoona Rainwater (Aminah Nieves), who ended up revolting and killing several nuns. Desperate to get revenge, Father Renaud then goes on a cross-country adventure to find her and avenge the woman he lost.

After many months on the road, he finally comes face to face with her, only to be killed moments later. To learn more about this ending, Woman’s World recently sat down with Roché to discuss his thoughts on it, as well as if he and Nieves actually get along when the cameras aren’t rolling. Scroll on for more.  

Sebastian Roché talks about his character’s death 

In season 2, episode 6 of 1923, Father Renud has fire thrown in his face, is stabbed several times, and then is eventually shot by Teoona. 

Now, for most actors, finding out that their character is being killed off is quite a sad thing, but for Roché, his first response was “finally.” 

“When I got the script for season 2, where I got all six scripts, I went through all my parts to see, because I knew my character would eventually meet his demise. But I was really happy that there was this entire journey for the character through all six episodes. That was really wonderful for me and for the evolution of my character. So, yeah, I kind of welcomed it,” he continued. “What a brilliant scene to end on. There’s a great justification in it, because Teonna finally gets rid of the sword that has hung over her head for two seasons. It was an epic moment, and I fully embraced that scene. I was looking forward to it, and it met my expectations.” 

“I think there are moments where you’re wishing for a character’s death, and Taylor Sheridan wrote such an epic death scene for Father Renud, and I think it will satisfy the show’s fans.” 

Before his death, Father Renoud was traveling across the country with Marshal Kent (Jamie McShane), a man he eventually shot and killed after disagreeing with him on the way he handles things—which is ironic since Father Renoud has been very vocal about not ending people’s lives for no reason in previous episodes. 

“I think these are two people who do not match, who hate each other because they’re way too similar,” Roché explained to Woman’s World. “You never want to see your own mirror reflection, and especially go on a months-long journey with them without not wanting to kill them. Evil people project their evil onto others, and that’s what makes the character so rich. He’s not true to his word, but he has the righteousness of God in him. He has this desire to crush everything that stands in his way, which is what every extremist believes.” 

Sebastian Roché shares some behind-the-scenes secrets 

Despite their characters being mortal enemies, Roché and Nieves are actually really good friends in real life. The actor claims that because of that connection, they feel safe screaming such horrible things at one another. 

“That last scene between our two characters is an extreme moment, but it’s also an extremely delicate moment between them. And I think we could go there because we trust each other,” he explains. “My first scene in season 1 was with Amina, and we communicated so beautifully as actors. So, my last scene in the series should be with her. We really have an amazing friendship, which made everything even richer.” 

Fans of the show were able to catch glimpses of that friendship on Roché’s Instagram story. He posts behind-the-scenes photos of the cast, crew and sets after each episode. 

“I love taking photos, and it shows people how a set works,” he elaborated. “I have such immense respect for the crew, the camera operators, the directors, stunt people, photographers, electricians, key grips, production design, craft services, the makeup and hair departments. All these people make it easier for us to do our job, and, when you look at the environment that we’re in, it’s a really masterful feat to do.” 

Sebastian Roché opens up about how much Taylor Sheridan has impacted his life 

Another person Roché has a lot of respect for is the show’s creator and lead writer, Taylor Sheridan, whose career he’s followed for a “long time.” 

“I put it on my internal vision board that I wanted to be in Yellowstone, and it happened, and I’m so thankful,” Roché said. “Taylor really inspired me to write. Since I’ve worked on 1923, I’ve written four or five scripts, and I would say he pretty much is the inspiration for all of them. He’s brilliant.” 

To learn more about our 1923 coverage, click here! Be sure to tune in to the last episode of the series on Sunday, April 6, 2025, streaming only on Paramount+.

Link to original: https://www.womansworld.com/entertainment/celebrities/sebastian-roche-on-1923-death-scene-and-working-with-aminah-nieves