Wes Bentley: Jamie's about to crack in 'Yellowstone' 5B
NEW YORK, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- Wes Bentley says his Yellowstone character Jamie will be seen sticking to his guns when Season 5 of the contemporary western continues Sunday on Paramount, but his actions will come at a high price.
"He's finally making a stand for what he believes in, standing up to his sister and to [his adopted father] John Dutton, and trying to stand up for a belief that he has that what he's doing is right for the ranch," Bentley, 46, told UPI in Zoom interview Thursday.
"But he's now gone so far as to feel like he needs to do everything he can, including maybe killing people in his family to do it and, so, I think he's cracking. I think Jamie is at a point where he's either cracking, or he's about to crack."
Created by writer-producer Taylor Sheridan, the show follows the Dutton family -- patriarch John (Kevin Costner), Jamie and John's biological children businesswoman Beth (Kelly Reilly) and cattle rancher Kayce (Luke Grimes) -- as they fight to protect their enormous Montana spread from developers and politicians.
The first half of Season 5 saw Jamie, Montana's attorney general, attempt to impeach John, the state's governor, incurring the wrath of Beth, who vows to kill him.
Asked who Jamie interacts with the most in these upcoming episodes, Bentley is careful not to reveal spoilers.
"Jamie interacts with a lot of people, actually," Bentley said, adding that by the end of the season the character will have confronted almost everyone in his life.
"I don't want to say too much because I don't want to give [too much] away," he added. "I'm one of those TV fans that, even if you give me a hint of something, I'm going to figure it out, so I'll avoid even giving a hint of it, but a lot of things [happen] with various people and where it goes is really fascinating. Taylor always delivers on the other end and the fans aren't going to be disappointed."
Although Costner announced he had left the show because of scheduling conflicts, he is prominently featured in previews for the second half of Season 5.
Bentley wouldn't divulge whether Costner ended up returning to shoot additional scenes or if previously filmed footage was repurposed for the new episodes.
"That's another thing I don't really want to hint at because I don't want to even give fans an idea," Bentley said.
"But I'll just say this about Kevin: he's a huge part of this show and we've been grateful to him and I wish him the best of luck."
Bentley wishes good things for Jamie, as well, even though he doesn't seem to be on a path to actually be able to enjoy them.
A happy ending the character might cherish would be "for everyone to respect and believe in him," according to Bentley.
"He has a great political career and a family that loves him," Bentley said about the character's dream, which is unlikely to be realized.
The series, which has inspired the hit Dutton family spinoffs 1883 and 1923, is due to end with its fifth season, but a possible sequel series that would follow the Yellowstone Season 5 survivors has been discussed at length in the media.
So, how does Bentley feel about leaving Jamie behind?
"With TV, you never know what's going to happen, so, I wouldn't want to say [anything] too definite," he laughed.
"But, every time you go, you never know if you're coming back, anyway, so, in that way, it's always tricky to say goodbye to the crew and to playing the character for at least that little while."
The actor -- who is also known for his roles in American Beauty, Interstellar, The Hunger Games and American Horror Story -- said Yellowstone has had a huge impact on him, personally and professionally.
"It's been the hardest role, the most difficult character I've ever had to play, the most in-depth I've ever been with a character and that's affected my life," Bentley added.
"It's also had a big cultural impact, which I've been a part of things that have done that before, but not in this way, and not to this degree. That's been a really fascinating thing to watch and to be a part of."