With the Kevin Costner tension behind them and John Dutton killed off on the show, the Yellowstone cast had the “easiest” time as they filmed the latest episodes of the Paramount Network drama, according to Luke Grimes.
“To be really honest, there was a part of Kevin being gone that meant some of the conflict was gone,” Grimes, the actor behind Kayce Dutton, said in a recent interview with Esquire. “Obviously, it didn’t make it super fun to be around. Not pointing any fingers, but it was actually the easiest season we’ve filmed.”
The end of Yellowstone’s fifth (and possibly final) season tomorrow night, Sunday, December 15, comes more than two years after its start, due to behind-the-scenes disagreements over Costner’s filming schedule. Costner, who played family patriarch John Dutton, eventually quit the series, and writer Taylor Sheridan had John murdered earlier in Season 5 Part 2.
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Now, with John Dutton out of the picture, Kayce is making plans to save the ranch.
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“It was a running joke on set that the dumb cowboy figured it out,” Grimes said. “Kayce’s kind of the silent killer, and it’s great whenever he gets to use that energy for something good. He’s a character who is under his father’s thumb — just sinking into the background because he would rather be not noticed than have to do the s*** his dad wanted him to do. Now he gets to step up and figure everything out. So it was a nice payoff for me.”
Grimes also reflected on the show coming to an end — and whether he’d reprise the role of Kayce in a spinoff like the Beth-Rip series reportedly on the horizon.
“Hopefully everyone can see that it was time. … There’s always talks of spinoffs. I’d do it [but] I just don’t understand how it would work once the story ends,” he said. “Kayce wants to cowboy and be happy with his family. He doesn’t want to kill people anymore. He doesn’t want the weight of a huge mega ranch that isn’t sustainable in today’s times. He wants his little slice of heaven. It’s that simple.”
Yellowstone, Season 5 Finale, Sunday, December 15, 8/7c, Paramount Network
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