The Hollywood star Luke Grimes is speaking out this week to admit that it “definitely felt different” on the set of Yellowstone without Kevin Costner. This came after Costner decided not to return to finish out the second half of the fifth and final season of the beloved show.
Grimes Sounds Off On Costner
Grimes, 40, told People Magazine that Costner’s decision not to return to Yellowstone gave “a finality to it.”
Costner, of course, dropped out of the show to focus on his magnum opus, the four-part film Horizon.
“Him not coming back felt like, ‘Okay, we’re going to have to land this plane now for real,'” Grimes recalled. “I think the patriarch leaving was always going to be part of the story. That’s always where it was headed is like, what do these kids do? What does this family do when their rock is gone?”
“Whatever the circumstances may be, [it] definitely felt like, ‘Okay, we’re coming in for a landing,'” he added of Costner’s absence. “It definitely felt different.”
Grimes went on to praise Costner, 69.
“He’s a big presence, man, guy’s an icon,” Grimes continued. “So not having him around to set felt a little different. But as always, I mean, we’re a big family now. It was just as special and hopefully, the fans will be able to connect with the story just as much … I think they will be able to.”
Related: Fans Get First Look At ‘Yellowstone’ Season 5 Part 2: Watch the Trailer
Grimes Discusses Kayce
In this same interview, Grimes opened up about his character Kayce Dutton, the son of Costner’s character John Dutton. He described him as someone who “feels a little bit like an outsider in his own family … I think that the thing that kind of put him in between a rock and a hard place was that deep down he felt the loyalty, even though he knew maybe it wasn’t the best thing for him.”
Grimes admitted that this dynamic was “kind of fun to play with” over the years.
Now that Costner has left the show, fans are wondering what’s next for Yellowstone’s Dutton family. Grimes admitted that “there’s always rumblings.”
“I think when anything is this successful, there’s a pressure to keep it going because they know they have an audience and that’s what they’re looking for,” he stated. “But it all comes down to Taylor [Sheridan’s] vision. He has to see it to be able to write it, and I don’t think he’s going to write something that he doesn’t want to. Basically we’re just going to see if Taylor has an idea that he gets excited about, and that’s going to make all the difference here.”
Yellowstone Cast Hasn’t Heard From Costner
Costner announced earlier this year that he would not be returning to Yellowstone due to scheduling conflicts between the filming of the show and of his four-part western epic Horizon. Ian Bohen, who plays ranch hand Ryan, told Daily Mail on Thursday night, “I haven’t [heard from Kevin Costner]. We haven’t corresponded in some time.”
“He’s been tremendously busy with his film, so I wish him the best and I hope he’s doing well,” he continued.
John Emmet Tracy, who plays Ellis Steele on the show, made similar comments. However, he also praised Costner for making Yellowstone “so legendary.”
“No, no, I haven’t heard anything from him,” Tracy said. “I don’t know if the others have, [but] I will say though that he’s an amazing man to work with and he’s a legend and I think he has contributed so much to making Yellowstone so legendary.”
The final episodes of Yellowstone are set to begin airing on Sunday, November 10 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on the Paramount Network.
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