Luke Grimes can’t watch Yellowstone. He’s starred on the hit Western drama as cowboy Kayce Dutton for seven years, but he’s only seen a handful of episodes—mostly the season premieres. The 40-year-old actor is very critical of his own work. So, he’s been waiting to really press the play button on the entire series when the show comes to an end. Now that the series finale of Yellowstone is just one week away, the day of the great binge is upon him.
“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,” Grimes tells me. “I want to give it a couple years, and just to cleanse the palette,” he says. “Then I’ll go through all of it.”
I understand his hesitance to really dive into the series that took him to another level of fame. The past two years have been an emotional rollercoaster for both the Yellowstone stars and the show’s 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 lengthy hiatus. Much of the show’s fandom bemoaned Yellowstone‘s eventual return without Costner, but it was a different story for the stars who saddled up to give fans much-needed closure.
“Hopefully everyone can see that it was time,” says Grimes. “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.”
“There’s always talks of spin-offs,” Grimes teases. “I’d do it, I just don’t understand how it would work once 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 his family but begins to set up a life of his own beyond his father’s mess. Just this past Sunday, he even figures out a way to save the ranch. When audiences tune in to 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 dumb cowboy figured it out,” Grimes jokes. “Kayce’s kind of the silent killer, and it’s great whenever he gets to use that energy for something good. He’s a character who is under his father’s thumb—just sinking into the background because he would rather be not noticed than have to do the shit his dad wanted him to do. Now he gets to step up and figure everything out. So, it was a nice payoff for me.”
Ahead of the final Yellowstone episode, Grimes reflects on playing Kayce Dutton for over half of a decade, saying goodbye to such a popular character, and starring in horror auteur Ari Aster’s next film, Eddington.
The Dutton family saga concludes next week.
ESQUIRE: Does it feel surreal that Yellowstone is coming to an 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’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. 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. Kayce wants to cowboy and be happy with his family. 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.
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 little gluttonous sometimes. Things go on after they’re supposed to be done. 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 it does. That’s just the way that television shows work. If John Dutton didn’t die, then the story would just continue. That was the one thing that needed to happen the whole time.
Do you pay attention to fans’ reaction to the series?
In the past, no, because it would have hurt my feelings. This year, I read a little bit of the fan reaction about John Dutton dying. I was just interested in how people were feeling about that, because I think we all had a pretty good idea that people weren’t going to like it very much. But I’m careful.
Luke Grimes (far left) and the Yellowstone cast at the New York City Premiere of season 5, part 2. From left to right: Grimes, Wes Bentley, Kelly Reilly, Kelsey Asbille, and Cole Hauser.
Cole Hauser told us that all his scripts were heavily redacted this season. Was it the same for you?
Any other season, yes, but I was in 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 kind of off in my own world. Obviously, with John Dutton dying, not having all the scripts would have made it so much harder.
I heard that you read through the final scripts in just one day. What kind of emotions came up as 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 kept that it 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. 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.
“It was a running joke on set that the dumb cowboy figured it out,” Grimes says.
Do you think audiences will be satisfied with the finale?
At the rate we’re headed, I don’t think they’re going to be satisfied with anything. [Laughs.] Some people will realize that it was very well-written and well-executed. But a large part will just be mad that it’s over, which is fair.
Kayce’s new tax loophole plan kind of threw a wrench in 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 was wondering too, how this entire sprawling storyline was going to come together in just one episode. But Taylor did it.
Is there anything you can tell me about your next role in Ari Aster’s Eddington? (Editor’s note: The horror director just wrapped filming on a western black comedy set in New Mexico starring Grimes, Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Emma Stone, Austin Butler, and Deirdre O’Connell).
He was on my bucket list, first of all. I loved Midsommar and Hereditary. I love psychological horror. That’s probably all I can say for now. If I tried to explain it in a logline it wouldn’t make any sense. Ari’s movies aren’t an easy pitch. But I got to really play with the cool kids on this one.
