Yellowstone star Luke Grimes has revealed that the departure of Kevin Costner made the final installment of the hit Western show “the easiest season we’ve filmed.”
Costner’s time on Taylor Sheridan’s series ended in controversy following reports the actor had quit as he wanted to make his own Western franchise Horizon – An American Saga instead.
His character, Dutton family patriarch John Dutton III, was recently killed off in the second part of the fifth and final season.
Speaking to Esquire, Grimes — who plays John’s son Kayce Dutton — said: “Hopefully everyone can see that it was time.”
He continued: “To be really honest, there was a part of Kevin being gone that meant some of the conflict was gone. 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.”
Grimes also said he felt Sheridan had given his character a satisfactory ending, adding: “It feels like good timing. 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. But there is a part of it that — once you read those final episodes — sees that there’s a finality to it.”
The show’s finale is set to air this Sunday, December 15 on the Paramount network.
While Yellowstone will be coming to an end, Sheridan isn’t done with Montana. He recently announced that Michelle Pfeiffer is set to lead the forthcoming Yellowstone sequel series, The Madison. The new series will follow a family of New Yorkers who relocate to the Madison River valley in central Montana. It is set to deal with themes of grief and human connection.
A release date for The Madison has not yet been announced.
Earlier this year, Grimes told The Independent he was frustrated by the politicization of Yellowstone.
“I think a lot of people see a cowboy hat and a horse and they think, ‘Oh, that’s not for me, those people believe differently,’” he said.
“And it’s almost like they take these flawed characters in the show and chalk it up to some sort of weird belief that they’ve put on them.
“Meanwhile, you can have a terrible person like [Succession’s] Logan Roy, who lives in an apartment in Manhattan, and that’s fine. That guy’s a total piece of s***! But that’s OK. It’s so funny to me because… I just don’t understand why that has to immediately equal some political belief. And I don’t think it does.”
