“It is one of my favorite scripts I’ve ever read, so people loving it and watching it and having the numbers grow just means we get to do it longer,” reveals Luke Grimes about how “Yellowstone” has become a genuine TV blockbuster, beloved by fans around the world, from all walks of life.
“It is such a dream job and the cast the crew, we all get along so well, we all love the story we’re telling and we get to shoot it in a beautiful place,” he says. “So yeah man, I’m thrilled and I couldn’t be happier!” Watch our exclusive video interview above.
SEE 2022 is the year of ‘Yellowstone’ after stunning 4th season shattered hearts, broke records
“Yellowstone” was created by Oscar nominee Taylor Sheridan (“Hell or High Water”), about a powerful Montana ranching family under constant threat by politicians, developers and the neighboring Native American reservation. Oscar, Emmy and SAG Award winner Kevin Costner (“Dances With Wolves,” “Hatfields & McCoys”) stars as family patriarch John Dutton, with Grimes co-starring as his son Kaycee, alongside TV siblings Kelly Reilly as Beth and Wes Bentley as Jamie, with Cole Hauser playing honorary adopted son (and Beth’s lover) Rip.
The series is a massive hit for Paramount Network, with its fourth season premiere watched by a staggering 8.38 million live viewers, breaking ratings records as cable’s most watched episode of any series since 2018. Just like its viewership, the critical response to the show has also built steadily over the years, with its fourth season garnering an impressive 86% “fresh” rating at Rotten Tomatoes, claiming nominations so far this year from the producers guild, art directors guild, the Cinema Audio Society (where it won for sound mixing) and a SAG Award nomination for Best Drama Ensemble.
SEE Kelly Reilly is a 21st century Lady Macbeth as Beth Dutton on ‘Yellowstone’
After a brutal fourth season that started with him literally under fire after a bloody ambush, Kaycee attempts to forge a path forward alongside his family, ultimately looking within, so as to be fully embraced by his wife Monica’s (Kelsey Asbille) Lakota tribe. In the gripping season finale, he embarks on a sacred vision quest ritual, spending four days and nights alone in the mountains without food or water, during which he experiences several visions of his past as well as mysterious clues about where his life might be headed.
Grimes admits that shooting Kaycee’s rite of passage was challenging, but ultimately profoundly meaningful. “It was 18 degrees when I showed up that day, and it was an all-day ordeal and obviously I wasn’t wearing a whole lot of clothing in that scene,” he shares. “You know, that crew and the people around me, there’s so many kind people there giving me socks and robes and putting me in a van that’s warm in between. It was difficult but also very rewarding and one of my favorite things I’ve gotten to do on the show.”
With production on Season 5 on the horizon, Grimes acknowledges that the show has changed his life, not just professionally but also personally. “In the biggest and most obvious way, I remember the first couple years I’d be up in Utah or in Montana, for four or five months, and then I’d go back to LA and feel like I was leaving home just because I get so in the speed of that place,” he explains. “So I’ve ended up moving to Montana, and now I live there. I live where we shoot the show, which I might not have found without being up there so much and seeing that world through the eyes of this character and then actually really for real falling in love with the lifestyle.”
PREDICT the 2022 Emmy nominees by July 12
Make your predictions at Gold Derby now. Download our free and easy app for Apple/iPhone devices or Android (Google Play) to compete against legions of other fans plus our experts and editors for best prediction accuracy scores. See our latest prediction champs. Can you top our esteemed leaderboards next? Always remember to keep your predictions updated because they impact our latest racetrack odds, which terrify Hollywood chiefs and stars. Don’t miss the fun. Speak up and share your huffy opinions in our famous forums where 5,000 showbiz leaders lurk every day to track latest awards buzz. Everybody wants to know: What do you think? Who do you predict and why?
SIGN UP for Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest predictions
