Luke Grimes & Kelsey Asbille Reveal How The End Of Yellowstone Really Feels - Exclusive Interview

Since "Yellowstone" premiered in 2018 on the Paramount Network, the lavish neo-Western series that follows the Dutton family has been a ratings juggernaut and cultural phenomenon, reaching a peak in 2022 when over 16 million viewers watched the simulcast premiere of the first half of Season 5. Despite the fan frenzy, the Kevin Costner-led series, which also stars Kelly Reilly as Beth, Wes Bentley as Jamie, and Luke Grimes as Kayce, has been on a two-year hiatus due to residual COVID-19 concerns, the Writers Guild and SAG-AFTRA strikes, and Costner officially announcing his exit prior to Season 5, Part 2. 

At long last, however, the much-anticipated return of "Yellowstone" is here, with the final episodes of Season 5 premiering on the Paramount Network on November 10. Everyone involved in the production of what is presumed to be the final season of the flagship show has gone to great lengths to ensure there are no storyline leaks leading up to the premiere, with barely a spoiler to be found anywhere on the internet. Still, rumors of whether "Yellowstone" Season 6 will ever happen have swirled online despite no solid evidence to point to, except for news about multiple spin-offs helmed by creator Taylor Sheridan.

In an exclusive interview with Looper, Luke Grimes and Kelsey Asbille — who plays Kayce's wife Monica — dodged any questions about what might be in store for the upcoming episodes. They also revealed their feelings about saying goodbye (they've gushed over their wonderful partnership on the show before) and whether they're hopeful about carrying on in the "Yellowstone" universe that Sheridan has created.

So this is it, presumably — this is the end of your "Yellowstone" journey. How does that feel, Luke? Are you content with how things are ending?

Luke Grimes: Man, there are a lot of feelings around it being the end. It's been quite an adjustment. We finished shooting a few months ago and since then it feels like I'm a kid at the end of summer camp when all your friends went away and now you're just home by yourself and asking, "Where'd everybody go?" So, yeah, it's been quite an adjustment. But I think the final season is ... when I read [the script], I just couldn't imagine it ending any other way. Taylor did a great job of really tying everything up in a way that people would be really satisfied with. I don't think they will feel like they've wasted their time loving this show for the past six years.

Now, is there anything you can tell us about how Kevin Costner's character will be handled?

Kelsey Asbille: Oh no, they would come in here and...

Grimes: Absolutely not. [Laughs]

Asbille: You're going to get us in trouble! [Laughs]

So then, Kelsey, what can you tell us about what fans should expect from these upcoming episodes?

Asbille: Oh Lord ... that Monica is there. [Laughs]

Grimes: [Laughs] She is in the show.

Asbille: Yes, she will be there sometimes. [Laughs]

How about this — there were reports that the directors kept cast and crew in the dark about the overall story and ending. How different did that make filming this half of the season?

Grimes: Yeah, not everybody got full scripts. Some of us did because we had to, because if you are in too many parts of it you need to know what happens. But for people that didn't need to know then they didn't know. And a lot of the crew didn't know at all. They had no scripts. So they would show up on the day and we would do sort of a mini-rehearsal of where we were going to [stand] so they knew where to point the cameras, but we would never rehearse the lines. They were trying in every way to protect any secrets from getting out because they just want everyone to enjoy it the way it's meant to be enjoyed. So, the intentions were good.

Kelsey, how did it feel shooting these episodes compared to other seasons?

Asbille: I mean, this show is a monster to shoot, so I think at this point our cast and crew roll with the punches and adapt. It was definitely a different way of going about it. But we got it done. We figured it out. [Laughs]

Are either of you hopeful about remaining in the "Yellowstone" universe beyond these last few episodes? There are rumors of a Season 6, there are a bunch of spin-offs, etc.

Asbille: We both feel the same. We're so indebted to Taylor and he's just such an incredible writer that I think we'd follow him if he asks.

Grimes: Yeah, if I got a call and he said, "Hey, I'm writing more." I'd be like, "I'm there." If I got a call from someone else saying, "I'm writing more." I'd say, "Probably not."

What do you hope the show's legacy is?

Grimes: I hope it can be enjoyed for years to come, and I hope it [holds] up 10 years from now, 20 years from now. Sometimes you watch things from certain years and you're like, "Oh, that's not as good as I thought it was when I was 6 years old," or whatever. So, I just hope that people can continue to enjoy it down the line.

Season 5 of "Yellowstone" returns on Sunday, Nov. 10 at 8 pm ET/PT on Paramount Network.