It took “Yellowstone” a bit to sink its claws into the casual viewer, even with talent like Kevin Costner, Kelly Reilly, and Luke Grimes at the helm. But, once it did, it never really let go. Now, “Yellowstone” is one of the most-watched shows on TV. It’s breaking all sorts of records left and right. Yet, it took some time before the big awards shows sat up and took notice. It was only in 2021 that “Yellowstone” was nominated for an Emmy Award for production design. It took until 2022 for the SAG Awards to nominate the ensemble cast.
Although the show hasn’t won any big-time awards yet, it has won a CAS Award for sound mixing and three Western Heritage Awards. Star Luke Grimes, who plays Kayce Dutton on “Yellowstone”, is still proud of the recognition. In conversation with Gold Derby in late April, Grimes spoke about the iconic Dutton name; the show’s political neutrality; and also what he thinks of the recognition the show has garnered.
When asked what it was like being nominated for a SAG Award as an ensemble cast, Luke Grimes replied, “We have all really put in a lot of hard work; we love this show, we love this story, we love these characters. And there’s always shows that come along that somehow for one reason or another become the darlings at these awards shows.”
But, he went on, the cast didn’t have any hard feelings about not winning. “It’s not like we were all sitting around bummed that we weren’t getting nominated,” Grimes continued, “it’s a nice pat on the back but you don’t live or die for that sort of thing. It’s just nice to be recognized and appreciated.”
Luke Grimes Talks Critics Reception of ‘Yellowstone’ and Why It Took A While For Award Nominations
Grimes also touched on why it may have taken so long for critics to get on board with the show. He continued, “I think the fact that it did take a while and to kind of have that start to come around a little bit, it’s great. I’m so proud of all the people that I work with and I hope that there’s more of that sort of thing. And especially for the people behind the camera of our show and in every aspect. Because there are a lot of people working really hard to make something that I think is pretty fantastic.”
To sum up his thoughts about how far “Yellowstone” has come, “It’s nice,” said Luke Grimes. The show has definitely come a long way from where it started; it can only keep getting better. We’ll keep tuning in until Taylor Sheridan decides he’s told all the “Yellowstone” stories he can.
