‘Yellowstone’ is a show that needs no introduction for many. Taylor Sheridan’s present-day Western epic follows the Dutton family and their many obstacles and ever-evolving relationships made in trying to protect the rights to their land. The show has become such a sensation that it has ignited three spin-offs — the prequel 1886 is already on TV, while 1923 and 6666 are set to launch soon — and an intense fan base.
As part of the Dutton family (though, spoiler alert, not biologically we found out), Jamie has always been the one involved in politics rather than suiting up to ride a horse on the ranch. Played by Wes Bentley, we soon see Jamie in a new role in Season 5, one where anger and revenge are the driving force after the climatic events that shaped the season before.
To give more insight, Bentley sat down to chat about what fans can expect for ‘Yellowstone’ and its new season.
Where do we find Jamie at the start of Season 5?
When we pick up, John (Kevin Costner) has won the governorship and Jamie has helped him win because of what Beth (Kelly Reilly) forced him to do with his own biological father.
And at the end of Season 4 by killing him, he’s now trying to help them win and be a part of the team. But he is also really struggling with not having a plan for the first time in his life and feeling checkmated and used and stuck [with] all this rage and anger inside of him.
But despite that, he’s trying to stay focused and trying to help them not completely mess up the governorship by being the voice of reason.
You mention Jamie killing his biological father last season. How does that continue to affect him throughout Season 5?
There is a combination of things going on [with] the anger and the resentment now toward Beth that’s only, I think, starting to boil as we enter Season 5—despite even how hot it was out of 4. And it’s just going to build and build and build that pressure because he has no outlet, he has no plan and no way out… And that’s dangerous with a man who’s killed before, and a man who’s got ambition. So he’s got all of that, and that’s basically what we see starting to happen in Jamie.
That moment on the show definitely divided audiences as well. Some felt bad for Jamie and some thought he was a monster. Where do you fall in that?
It’s really hard for me to make judgments about my character, it’s kind of a big rule for me so I don’t end up kind of being a character when I play them. So, I’ve avoided it. It’s hard after five seasons, but I do get a lot of feedback—and it’s split. I get a lot of people who are like “Oh no, Jamie.” And then I get a lot of people who kind of understand that he’s stuck. If I was speaking from Jamie’s perspective, I would say he had no choice.
It was him or his dad, and his dad did do something pretty terrible. In Jamie’s world, there is a right and wrong. The line gets blurred because that’s how they lived their lives, the Duttons…But he does have a strong sense of wanting to be right. Just what he considers is right at that moment is what makes him dangerous.
On top of not judging your character, you’ve also said in the past that it’s a challenge to play Jamie because he’s so different from you. How as an actor do you try and relate to him then?
Well, having the time that we’ve had and what’s great about doing a show, is that you get a lot of time to sink into the character. And that depth just arrives. Taylor’s writing is full of depth and nuance and a lot of undertones and a lot of secrets, so I use all of that the best I can.
[Jamie] is the opposite of me and the choices he would make and sometimes the way he behaves… But I can understand the link [as just] a human being, the feelings of jealousy, the feelings of anger, the feelings of being rejected, and all of that. The job I didn’t have to do is apply it to Jamie’s world, but our emotions are shared. I shared the emotions with him, and that I can tap into. But everything else about him logistically speaking, sort of the shell of him, I have no connection to.
The relationships in ‘Yellowstone’ really help to drive the story, and Jamie certainly has some interesting ones. Which has been the most fun for you to explore and see unfold on screen?
With Beth, it’s very interesting and it’s always fun to explore because it’s unexpected every time. That is one of the things that is very different between Jamie and me—I couldn’t have put up with that. But the relationship with John, and the relationship with Casey is also one that is really interesting that we don’t get to dig in too much. But I think there is a connection there that’s hard to break. They’ve gone through a lot already and every time it just seems like Casey’s with him… And so that’ll be interesting to see how that kind of develops and ends up.
Looking at ‘Yellowstone’ as a whole, what do you think it is about it the show that has made it such a phenomenon?
I think Taylor Sheridan is a poet when he speaks about America or lands in America or people in America. It’s really compelling. Maybe people don’t see it that way when they watch it, but he’s being poetic about the land. Not a lot of people talk like that, and we have cynical things in our show, but most shows are full of cynicism—which is fun and great, but every once in a while you want to see a show that’s not, and maybe it’s just straight up drama.
And, a lot of people relate to this being in the middle of the country. It’s beautiful and beautifully shot as well, and I think a lot of Americans are identifying with the things that he says about our country, and it’s different from other places they can turn to or shows that they watch.
I think that’s one thing. But I don’t know… There must be many reasons people watch the relationships, as you said before. I think often when people tell me they’re really compelled by this mess of a family and they wonder what they care about. That’s the constant question…What do they really care about? Besides the land.
‘Yellowstone‘ Season 5 premieres Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022 on Paramount Network with a special two-hour event.
