Yellowstone’s Luke Grimes Says Kevin Costner Absence Made It Easy to Film

Luke Grimes appeared to throw some subtle shade at Kevin Costner after the Yellowstone lead opted not to appear in the second half of season 5.

Grimes, 40, was asked about his experience filming the fifth and final season of the hit Paramount Network drama during an interview with Esquire earlier this month and replied, “Hopefully everyone can see that it was time.”

The actor, who played Kayce Dutton, specifically mentioned Costner’s absence.

“To be really honest, there was a part of Kevin being gone that meant some of the conflict was gone,” Grimes admitted. “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.”

Yellowstone, which premiered on Paramount in 2018, follows the fictional Dutton family, who own the largest ranch in Montana. Many viewers came for Costner’s portrayal of family patriarch John Dutton but stayed for the show’s other leads, including Grimes, Kelly Reilly, Wes Bentley, Gil Birmingham, Cole Hauser and Kelsey Asbille.

Grimes hasn’t shied away from discussing his relationship with Costner recently. (Costner, 69, didn’t appear in the last half of season 2 amid reported tension between him and showrunner Taylor Sheridan, which they both denied.)

“I haven’t talked to him since [he left]. It’s not a case of any hard feelings or anything. It’s just, he’s Kevin Costner,” Grimes told Men’s Health MH Flex on Tuesday, December 17. “He’s a big deal. I do have his phone number — I just don’t feel like it’s my place to reach out. He can reach out to me if he wants to.”

While Grimes didn’t say he was at odds with Costner, he acknowledged the distance between them.

“None of us saw it coming the way it did, and obviously there was news about possible blowups behind the scenes or whatever,” he noted. “But just like in life, man, these things happen, they happen fast, and they’re not predictable.”

Grimes continued: “I lost my father a few years ago. It happened fast, and it was not the way that you would think that that would happen. In life, these things happen and then people have to start making decisions. And in our little Yellowstone world, that helped ramp the show up into a boil.”

Costner reacted to Grimes’ comments that same day. “I’m not thinking about [the Yellowstone finale]. I don’t think I’ve given it any thoughts, we’ll just let it go,” Costner said before dodging a question about whether he is in touch with Grimes. “No. We are done talking.”