Taylor Sheridan's epic Western series Yellowstone will finally come to a close on December 15, after a highly anticipated fifth season that unwittingly featured some drama.
The exit of series lead Kevin Costner, who is now focusing on his solo projects like the Horizon saga, created major buzz, and his former co-stars are now addressing his departure in the wake of the show's conclusion.
Luke Grimes, who plays Kayce Dutton, sat down with Esquire to discuss the upcoming series finale and his own relationship with the show, which he describes as an acrimonious one, owing to his sense of self criticism.
"I want to like the show, and I bet one day I will, but it was kind of hard to because I was still in it," the 40-year-old explained. "I want to give it a couple years, and just to cleanse the palette. Then I'll go through all of it."
He also spoke about Kevin's exit from the show, stemming from an alleged feud with its creator, which delayed the final season for nearly two years. "Hopefully everyone can see that it was time," he says of the change.
"To be really honest, there was a part of Kevin being gone that meant some of the conflict was gone," Luke added. "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."
When asked how he felt about Yellowstone finally coming to a close after nearly seven years on the air, he called it "good timing," and continued: "Seven years is a long time to do anything, and I had never played a character for more than a few months before. I've loved all of it."
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"But there is a part of it that — once you read those final episodes — sees that there's a finality to it." Luke also commented on the potential for spin-offs, beyond the prequel and sequel series already airing (1923, 1883) or in the works (a reported spin-off starring Matthew McConaughey).
"There's always talks of spin-offs. I'd do it [but] I just don't understand how it would work once the story ends," he added. "Kayce wants to cowboy and be happy with his family."
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"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."
When asked how he felt reading the final scripts, Luke reflected on the emotions he felt at the time, saying: "From the very beginning, Taylor told me, 'I know how the show ends, but I don't want you to know how it ends. I think you would just play things differently [if you knew the ending], and I don't want you to know anything.'"
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"So, I kept that in mind, and I wanted to wait to read it until we filmed the very last episode. But it had been so long since we shot and I felt like I just didn't remember what we did. I didn't remember how to play Kayce. I couldn't lock in."
He continued: "I thought, 'If I just read the last one, I bet it would help.' So, I read it, and it really got me. I felt totally connected to the story again and I couldn't imagine it ending any other way."