Luke Grimes has given his take on Yellowstone’s patriarch Kevin Costner making his exit, leaving John Dutton’s story unfinished.
Kayce Dutton star Luke Grimes is behind the youngest of the powerful family whose loyalties have been tested due to his marriage to Broken Rock Indian Reservation resident Monica Long (played by Kelsey Asbille).
Having been in the Paramount Network drama from the very beginning, Luke will be back for the second half of season five which will be the show’s final outing.
But not everyone is expected to return with Kevin announcing earlier this year that he would be taking a step back from the show.
This was due to scheduling conflicts with his own upcoming film Horizon: An American Saga which has been in the works for decades.
Months after the news broke of Kevin’s departure from the show, his on-screen son Luke has finally given his take on the situation.
The star noted that while it was disappointing the John Dutton star left earlier than anticipated, he understands where the 69-year-old is coming from.
He commented how Kevin had become “busy” with “passion projects” and in particular Horizon: An American Saga which comes out in June.
Luke told The Independent: “Whatever happened there is unfortunate if it’s changed anything about how the show was going to unfold.”
Nevertheless, he added: “At a certain point, you gotta do what you gotta do, man,” he added. “You gotta do what you love.”
Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan previously told The Hollywood Reporter that he was “disappointed” by Kevin’s decision to leave but stated it hadn’t “altered” his opinion of the star as an actor.
“I’ve never had an issue with Kevin that he and I couldn’t work out on the phone,” Sheridan said.
“But once lawyers get involved, then people don’t get to talk to each other and start saying things that aren’t true and attempt to shift blame based on how the press or public seem to be reacting.
“He took a lot of this on the chin and I don’t know that anyone deserves it.
“His movie seems to be a great priority to him and he wants to shift focus. I sure hope [the movie is] worth it — and that it’s a good one.”
Despite his departure from the show, it seems that Kevin may be interested in returning to the hit Western series for the final lot of episodes after all.
He told Entertainment Tonight: “I’ve loved making that series. I’ve made five seasons of it…
“Maybe this will circle back to me. If it does, and I feel really comfortable with it, I’d love to do it.”
So is John Dutton’s story going to be concluded after all following Kevin’s U-turn?
Yellowstone is available to watch on Paramount Network.