Luke Grimes on Finishing Yellowstone Without Kevin Costner: “It's a Miracle the Show Was Able to Stay the Course”

Ahead of the long-awaited return of Taylor Sheridan's hit neo-Western series, Yellowstone this forthcoming Sunday (November 10th) on CBS and Paramount+, Luke Grimes - who plays John Dutton's beloved son, Kayce - sits down with Holler to delve into the high-profile challenges that have plagued Season 5 Part 2.

Much like the Dutton family, who face wave after wave of opposition as they attempt to hold onto their land and legacy, the series organisers themselves have been dealt a number of blows, as they contended with the Hollywood SAG-AFTRA writers strikes, and then a very public dispute with their leading man, Kevin Costner.

After Season 5 Part 1 concluded in January 2023, production for the final instalment of the series went on hold for the rest of the year. Once filming had resumed, Taylor Sheridan's Yellowstone juggernaut was given another “hump to get over”, as Luke Grimes puts it, when Kevin Costner confirmed he would not be returning for Part 2. Given the fact that Costner plays John Dutton, the patriarch of the Dutton family and the keystone of the show as a whole, this had the potential to explode into less of a “hump” and more of a violent, cinematic car-crash.

It remains to be seen how Kevin Costner has been written out of Season 5 Part 2, with a sudden, off-camera death for John Dutton seeming the likeliest possibility at present, given the health struggles the character experiences throughout the series. Or perhaps he simply grows bored of the pressure and turmoil of being Governor, and decides to pack it all in and go on a season-long fishing trip up in Banff.

As we eagerly - and somewhat nervously - look forward to seeing how the last chapter of Yellowstone unfolds, Luke Grimes reassures us that Taylor Sheridan has written a corker of a script.

Grimes explains that it's been ingrained in the DNA of Yellowstone for there to be some kind of struggle, “It's one of the most fulfilling things I've ever done, playing Kayce in the show. But it's been a challenge every single year. It feels like every year there's been something pushing against us. You know, whether it was COVID, or the strikes - it's been a challenge to do every season for some huge reason”.

He expands, “So this season, it felt like it was just another challenge - but we were able to do it. It's a miracle that the show was able to stay the course through all of that. [Kevin Costner] leaving was just another hump to get over. I think Taylor wrote it beautifully, and we executed it. I think the fans will be very, very happy with the ending”.

The rip-roaring Yellowstone Season 5 Part 1 premiere broke the series’ record, pulling in a whopping 16 million viewers - making it 2022's most-watched show on TV.

When Yellowstone Season 5 Part 2 airs on November 10th, it's expected to draw over 10 million again, and maybe even surge beyond the Part 1 record. However, when the release date finally arrives, one thing is certain - Luke Grimes will not be watching.

“I don't watch Yellowstone”, Luke Grimes admits, “I feel like if I throw too many things into the mix, then maybe I'll start coming at the material in the wrong way, and it'll be less like a living, breathing human being, and more like a calculated person who's acting. So, for me, it was more about honestly playing the moments”.

Grimes underlines, “I think the one thing that's made it easier, too, is the fact that Kayce's whole thing is that he doesn't want to be a part of the ranch anymore. He wants to do his own thing and be his own man. I want to sit down one day, like five years from now, and watch them all in order, and really be able to enjoy them and have my hands be clean of it, so I'm not sitting around thinking, ‘I should have done that differently’. I think it will be a nice way to actually be able to enjoy it all”.

For many, the appeal of Yellowstone is not found in the dizzying twists of the plot or the stars Sheridan has recruited to portray his carefully crafted characters. Rather, it's the joy of feeling immersed in this richly textured world of old-school cowboy adventures, which take place against the backdrop of stunning Montana landscapes.

Unless you live on a ranch in real life, Yellowstone is pure escapism, and Sheridan has worked hard to expand this universe as far as possible, through spin-offs such as 1883 and 1923. As reports of a Yellowstone sequel, initially titled 2024 and renamed The Madison, continue to surface, some have wondered whether a handful of fan-favourite characters from Yellowstone - such as Kayce - could feature.

Luke Grimes stresses, “As far as Yellowstone spin-offs and all that, as of right now, no. You never know what can happen. But as of right now, Kayce's story has ended - and ended well - and it's back to the drawing board. I'm actually really excited about having a little bit of open road for the first time in a while, and not knowing what's coming up on the on the acting side. I'm very excited, and I feel very good about that”.

After speaking to Grimes, it's evident that Yellowstone is much more than an on-screen role. In 2023, Grimes started releasing sparse country music that aligns with the Yellowstone aesthetic - his first single, ’No Horse To Ride’, even appeared in Season 5 - and he now proudly calls Montana his home, such was his connection with the land. More recently, Grimes has partnered with Carhartt to give back to the farming communities that have helped to colour his portrayal of Kayce Dutton.

Grimes reflects, “Before I did the show, I didn't really know much about the agricultural community...Over the seven years, I was able to learn a lot about it. I realised that these people are the unsung heroes. They're the people that feed us, and without them, we wouldn't survive. You need these people, and no one ever really talks about the hard work, the dedication and how challenging it is to be a farmer in today's age, where it gets more and more expensive to do what they do. Yet they're trying to drive their prices down, and it's their profits that are suffering”.

He goes on to outline, “When Carhartt was talking about launching a Montana line, we were discussing what we could do as far as a campaign that not only would promote the brand and the new line, but also promote the people that the new line is for. They were amazing about putting together something in this valley where I live, funding the Bitter Root Land Trust."

"It's a land conservancy program that helps people put chunks of their land into this conservancy, so that in perpetuity, no one can ever change it, touch it or build on it. This land will always be there for the future farmers and ranchers, and I just thought it was such a great idea. I've never been a part of something brand-related that actually felt like we were doing something that mattered, that meant something and that is helping people”.

As well as supporting the Bitter Root Land Trust for this campaign, which features a short video starring Luke Grimes and spotlighting various members of Montana's agricultural community, Carhartt has donated $350,000 to The Nature Conservancy.

Through the organisation's grass-banking program, which provides ranchers and farmers with grasslands they can use for cattle grazing, in return for conservation action on their properties, The Nature Conservancy has helped to instigate a positive conservation impact on 300,000 acres in Montana’s Northern Great Plains.

Due to the strength and depth of Luke Grimes’ relationship with Montana, and the reverence with which he speaks about Yellowstone, it would be unsurprising if the ‘What Angels Do’ singer-songwriter was to reprise his role as Kayce Dutton in some shape or form in the near future. For now, fans are rubbing their hands at the prospect of seeing Kayce, Monica, Beth and more completing their fascinating character arcs when they return to the Dutton Ranch on November 10th.

The premiere of Season 5 Part 2 of Yellowstone airs at 8pm ET on Sunday, November 10th on Paramount Network via CBS in the US and on Paramount+ in Canada. The new Yellowstone season will air in the UK on November 11th, and will be shown in Latin America, Brazil and France at a later unspecified date.

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