Luke Grimes talks ‘Yellowstone’ ending, Kevin Costner’s departure and spin-offs

On December 14, 2024By Littum

Luke Grimes can’t see Yellowstone. He has starred in the popular western drama as cowboy Kayce Dutton for seven years, but has only seen a handful of episodes – mainly the season premieres. The 40-year-old actor is very critical of his own work. So he’s been waiting to actually hit the play button on the entire series until the show ends. Now that the series finale of Yellowstone is only a week away, the day of the big binge is upon him.

“I want to like the show, and I bet I will one day, but it was kind of hard because I was still in it,” Grimes tells me. “I’ll give it a few years and just clean the palate,” he says. “Then I’ll go through it all.”

I understand his hesitation to really delve into the series that took him to another level of fame. The past two years have been an emotional rollercoaster for both Yellowstone stars and the series’ ride-or-die fans. The reported feud between series creator Taylor Sheridan and lead actor Kevin Costner derailed Season 5 in January 2023, placing Yellowstone on a longer break. Much of the show’s fandom complained Yellowstone‘s finally returned without Costner, but it was a different story for the stars who saddled up to give fans some much-needed closure.

“Hopefully everyone can see that it was time,” Grimes says. “To be perfectly honest, there was a part of Kevin that was gone, which meant that some of the conflict was gone. Of course, that didn’t make it super fun to be around. Not pointing fingers, but it was actually the easiest season we’ve filmed.”

Paramount
“There’s always talk of spin-offs,” Grimes teases. “I would do it, I just don’t understand how it would work when the story ends.”

When Yellowstone returned, Sheridan quickly wrote off Costner’s character and bolstered storylines involving the remaining Dutton family members—including Kayce. In the last few episodes, Kayce not only protects her family, but begins to create her own life beyond her father’s mess. Just this past Sunday, he even figured out a way to save the ranch. When audiences tune in for the finale next week, they’ll be waiting with bated breath to hear the rest of Kayce’s plan.

“It was a running joke on set that the stupid cowboy found out,” Grimes jokes. “Kayce’s kind of a silent killer, and it’s great whenever he gets to use that energy for something good. He’s a character who’s under his father’s thumb — just sinking into the background because he’d rather not be noticed than had to do the shit his dad wanted him to do. Now he has to go up and figure it all out. So that was a good win for me.”

Before the final Yellowstone episode, Grimes reflects on playing Kayce Dutton for over half a decade, saying goodbye to such a popular character and starring in horror auteur Ari Aster’s next film, Eddington.

Emerson Miller//Paramount
The Dutton family saga will end next week.

ESQUIRE: Does it feel surreal? Yellowstone is about to end?

LUKE GRIMES: 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 have loved it all. But there’s a part of it that – once you’ve read the last few episodes – you see that there’s a finality to it. There is always talk of spin-offs. I would do it (but) I just don’t understand how it would work when the story ends. Kayce wants to cowboy and be happy for his family. He doesn’t want to kill people anymore. He does not want the weight of a huge mega ranch that is not sustainable in today’s time. He wants his little piece of heaven. It’s that simple.

Why do you think people have such a hard time letting go of their favorite characters? I’ve always thought that a proper ending is better than just going on and on forever.

I think so. But, you know, our country can be a bit gluttonous sometimes. Things continue after they are supposed to be finished. I’d rather it be the perfect story. But I get it. When people love something, they don’t want it to end. Then they get mad at everyone when that happens. That’s just the way TV shows work. If John Dutton didn’t die, then the story would just continue. It was the one thing that had to happen all the time.

Are you aware of the fan reaction to the series?

Previously no, because that would have hurt my feelings. This year I read a bit about fan reaction to John Dutton’s death. I was just interested in how people felt about it, because I think we all had a pretty good idea that people weren’t going to like it very much. But I am careful.

Taylor Hill//Getty Images
Luke Grimes (far left) and Yellowstone cast members at the New York City premiere of Season 5, Part 2. From left: Grimes, Wes Bentley, Kelly Reilly, Kelsey Asbille and Cole Hauser.

Cole Hauser told us that all of his scripts were heavily edited this season. Was it the same for you?

Any other season, yes, but I was into so much stuff this season that I really needed to know what was going on or it wouldn’t have made any sense. I was actually involved in the plot again. For a while there I was a little lost in my own world. Obviously, with John Dutton dying, not having all the scripts would have made it that much more difficult.

I heard you read through the final scripts in just one day. What kind of emotions came up when you found out how the story ended?

GRIMES: 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.” So I stuck with it 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 couldn’t remember what we were doing. I didn’t remember how to play Kayce. I couldn’t lock in. 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.

Roger Snider//Paramount
“It was a running joke on set that the stupid cowboy found out,” says Grimes.

Do you think the audience will be satisfied with the finale?

At the rate we’re going, I don’t think they’ll be satisfied with anything. (Laughing.) Some people will realize that it was very well written and well executed. But a large part will just be upset that it’s over, which is reasonable.

Kayce’s new tax loophole plan threw a wrench into a lot of fan theories.

You could probably put it together at this point if you really sat down and thought about it. But I also wondered how this whole sprawling story was going to come together in just one episode. But Taylor did.

Is there anything you can tell me about your next role in Ari Asters Eddington? (Editor’s note: The horror director has just finished shooting a western black comedy set in New Mexico starring Grimes, Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Emma Stone, Austin Butler and Deirdre O’Connell).

He was first and foremost on my bucket list. i loved Midsummer and Hereditary. I love psychological horror. That’s probably all I can say right now. If I tried to explain it in a logline, it wouldn’t make any sense. Ari’s film is not an easy pitch. But I really have to play with the cool kids on this one.

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