- Wes Bentley has imagined what "Yellowstone" might be like without Kevin Costner since season one.
- "It's always a possibility in TV, right? We're always ready to die," Bentley told TVLine.
Following speculation that "Yellowstone" may be saying goodbye to Kevin Costner, one of the show's other stars has admitted he has imagined what the show might be like without the lead actor.
Wes Bentley, who portrays Jamie Dutton in the neo-Western drama, spoke to TVLine at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) TVFest this week. While he didn't address the latest behind-the-scenes drama, he did admit that he has been considering what the show might look like without Costner since it began back in 2018.
"I thought about this in season one because it's always a possibility in TV, right? We're always ready to die," the actor said.
Bentley went on to say that before the latest season, which is on hiatus until summer, his character would've been left heartbroken by the loss of his father because John "has got this hypnotic pull on Jamie."
"Jamie would have been completely lost. Maybe part of him would be frantic trying to take care of the ranch," he said. "He would feel that burden and maybe panic."
However, because the Dutton patriarch has spitefully become Governor of Montana just to usurp his adopted son's own lifelong dreams, Bentley said things have changed.
"After John ran for governor and became the thing he said he hated, Jamie started to have a change of perspective," Bentley explained.
The actor said that Jamie has now been left wondering: "Maybe John is not this tough guy he says he is. Maybe John doesn't have ideas. Maybe he's just another guy like the rest of them."
Bentley said that "the pedestal" Jamie put his father on has fallen away, adding: "The deity is gone. I think that's why Jamie's choosing to try to have him killed. [He realizes that his] life would be much better without him, which is a big change for Jamie."
Deadline reported last week that there has been trouble brewing on the set of the Paramount Network drama as Costner has been keen to cut back the number of days he spends shooting on location in Montana.
As a result, the report said, cocreator and showrunner Taylor Sheridan, Paramount Global, and Paramount Network have been exploring opportunities that will allow them to continue the Dutton saga, including a new spinoff show starring Matthew McConaughey.
However, a Paramount Network spokesperson denied these claims, telling Insider: "We have no news to report. Kevin Costner is a big part of 'Yellowstone,' and we hope that's the case for a long time to come.
"Thanks to the brilliant mind of Taylor Sheridan, we are always working on franchise expansions of this incredible world he has built. Matthew McConaughey is a phenomenal talent with whom we'd love to partner."