“I think originally he was supposed to die much earlier,” the actor tells PEOPLE of Kevin Costner’s character
John Dutton’s tragic fate in Yellowstone was predetermined, according to star Luke Grimes.
In an exclusive interview at his Nov. 15 Grand Ole Opry debut in Nashville for his 2024 self-titled album, Grimes, 40, told PEOPLE that it was always the plan for the Dutton patriarch (played by Kevin Costner) to “go away.”
“There’s been some negative reactions,” Grimes says of fan’s response to the show’s Nov. 10 return, which featured Costner’s character found dead from a fatal gunshot wound in the final minutes.
“I think they feel sort of cheated. And what I would say to that is, I think we were all lucky to have Kevin on the show as long as we did,” he continues. “It was always the plan for him to have to go away for the story to really ramp up, and that was the story. You lose a patriarch of the family. Can the kids do it on their own?”
He compares John’s de ath to greats like King Lear, The Godfather and Succession.
“I think originally he was supposed to die much earlier. So, in a way, they got way more of John Dutton than they were going to originally get,” Grimes says. “I would keep that in mind.”
The True Blood alum notes that the shock value of the character’s death adds to the authenticity of the drama series. “If it happened in such a shocking, quick way, that’s how life works, right? I mean, when you lose people, it’s sometimes not how you planned and not when you think it’s going to be,” he explains.
Grimes plays Kaycee Dutton — John’s youngest son — in Yellowstone, which follows the Dutton family and the conflicts they face while maintaining the legacy of their ranch empire.
Costner, 69, portrayed the patriarch for five seasons from 2018 until the Nov. 10 episode. He chose to exit the hit show before its intended conclusion, telling PEOPLE in a June interview that “the scripts weren’t there.”
As the final Yellowstone episodes air, Grimes is also busy promoting his debut album.
Ahead of performing at the famed Grand Ole Opry for the first time, he tells PEOPLE that “music has always been a big thing” in his life. “I think for anyone who grows up in church, you’re seeing live music two or three times a week,” he says.
The actor adds that his parents enjoyed country music and it was “really big in our household.”
“It was always really important. It was always a big, big thing. And I never really thought that it would be something I tried to do professionally,” Grimes says. “I can’t believe I am trying to do it professionally, to be honest. It still doesn’t feel real to me.”
Yellowstone airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Paramount Network.