We love Yellowstone just as much as you do here at The Digital Fix (seriously, we’re kind of obsessed with everything that happens on the Yellowstone ranch) and perhaps the single biggest reason for that is the pitch-perfect Yellowstone cast.
Right across the Dutton family tree, each actor seems to be born for their role, whether it’s Kevin Costner as grumbling patriarch John Dutton, or Kelly Reilly as the formidably fearsome Beth. Then there’s Luke Grimes, who stars as Kayce Dutton in what is one of the best drama series of recent years.
Kayce is arguably the most likable of the Duttons; all he wants is a peaceful life, riding cows and herding cattle in the day, and spending the evening with Monica and Tate. Grimes brings that simplicity to the screen wonderfully and all that hard work’s paid off because it has, according to the actor himself, unlocked a “cool part” of his life.
Speaking with USA Today about how Yellowstone had changed him, Grimes shared that he had always had a love for the wilderness, nature, and the outdoors. “I’ve been camping and backpacking my whole life,” he said.
However, something that Grimes had never done before was horseback riding. “Actually, it was the cowboy thing that was new to me. I’d never even ridden horses before Yellowstone. That’s such a cool part of my life I didn’t see coming.”
You’d never be able to tell that riding a horse is new to Grimes, because in the drama series Kayce rides like a pro: at the start of it, his job is to break colts and sell them on, with his experience leading to him eventually becoming livestock commissioner.
That confidence on a horse will have come from Grimes’ time spent in Taylor Sheridan‘s famous cowboy camps. Sheridan, the creator of the show who also stars as Travis Wheatley, hosts training camps for his actors where he gets them familiar with the cowboy lifestyle in order for them to be able to confidently play their roles on the screen without the use of stunt doubles.
Now, evidently, horseback riding has become a big part of Grimes’ life which seems somewhat inevitable given how much time he spends riding a horse of the show. Grimes will return as Kayce upon the Yellowstone season 5 part 2 release date, which will mark the end of the series as Kevin Costner makes his exit.
For more on the adventures of the Duttons, check out our guide to the Yellowstone timeline and see our picks for the 10 shows like Yellowstone you need to watch. Or, see what’s going on with the 6666 release date and the 1923 season 2 release date.
You can also learn how to cope with Yellowstone breaking up with you, and see why we hated the Yellowstone movie before changing our minds.