One of the big reveals that “Yellowstone” made near the end of what we will now call the first half of season 5 was where the Yellowstone brand came from. The Yellowstone brand is the big, nasty scar that the most loyal cowboys, who are loyal to the ranch and to John Dutton himself, wear on their chests.
To do this, the show journeyed back in time, but not as far as either of its spinoffs (“1883” or “1923”), but to a time when Rip (now portrayed by Cole Hauser) was a young man and John Dutton (now portrayed by Kevin Costner) was a young man with a mustache. That meant that Josh Lucas, who has been on and off the show since it started, would be back.
And before we go too far into the chat, TheWrap did inquire about Lucas’s mustache — was it the genuine article or a product of make-up?
“Well, it’s like that. Lucas said, “I hope you don’t know that it comes and goes. It just depends on what I’m shooting at the time.” “I really enjoy putting it on. If I come back for the second half of the season, which, to be honest, I don’t know, nobody knows, and only Taylor knows what will happen in the second half of season 5. I’ve decided that if I go back, I want to focus on that and have my real mustache since the real one is better.
TheWrap also talked to Lucas about coming back to the show, the pressure of being on TV’s most popular show, and why there hasn’t been a spinoff with Josh Lucas in charge yet.
Did You Ever Think This Would Still Be Going on When You Agreed To Do It Five Years Ago?
The truth is that he did tell me when I joined. I wanted to be one of Kevin’s kids, but he said, “Look, I’ve got a different idea for you,” and I ended up playing Kevin 20 years younger. But what he really said was, “We won’t have much for you to do in the first two years, and you won’t be back until the fifth season.”
And I really thought, “This guy is nuts.” And, you know, there was no such thing as “Yellowstone” back then. And even if it did begin to exist for that first year, whatever, it wasn’t exactly a smashing success.
He had the idea for seven years, but I can tell you that “1923,” “1883,” and the different versions of the show that are coming are all in Taylor’s head, as you said. They have been doing this for years. This is not something he thought of because of how well the show has done. I think he’s been thinking about how to get his creative juices flowing. Seven generations of “Yellowstone” stories have been passed down in his mind.
And he gets to tell a story that, as far as I know, has never been told on TV before: a story that spans several generations. And as far as I know, all of the stories are based on real events that Taylor knows about from his family, his past, or from other cowboys. Taylor has never discussed the “Yellowstone” universe with other screenwriters. He talks to cowboys, Native American storytellers, and his friends who don’t live in Hollywood, that’s for sure.
The Time Has Come For A Josh Lucas Spinoff!
I mean, come on, I would do it in an instant. Part of the reason is that I wouldn’t do it just for myself. It’s partly because I would watch that show, but not just because of me. I think many people who fall in love with the “Yellowstone” universe are also fascinated by how the characters change and grow as the show goes on.
And if you look at how they have changed over seven generations. Look, I don’t know what will happen to “Yellowstone,” which means I don’t know what will happen to John Dutton. Only Kevin knows. But “1883” gives a hint. If you go back and watch, you can see where one of the Indians tells Tim McGraw’s character, “We will come back in seven generations and take this from you.”
I’m not sure if that’s where it will go. I’m not sure. I find it just as interesting as you do. I’d love to see “1993,” you know. I’d love to see the movie “1972.” I’ll say that as a fan of the show as well as someone who is very, very grateful to be a part of it and, to be honest, feels a lot of pressure to play this character the way Kevin and Taylor think he or she is.
As a Part of The Most Popular Show on TV, Do You Feel Any Pressure?
I don’t think you can say that something doesn’t weigh more on you when so many people are looking at it. And I would say that being heavy can be very rewarding because it makes you, you know, look, as if you’re a champion, I hate to use a sports analogy again, but it’s true. But if your team has won a championship, you want to keep winning championships. And if you join a championship team as a guest player, you feel like you should play at the same level as everyone else.
And I really feel that I have a lot of responsibility because of what Kevin and Taylor did with John Dutton and how much the audience cares about him, his family, and how things work between them. If I didn’t get it right, I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel like I had a lot to do with it. And to be honest, I became obsessed with the show when Taylor told me he wanted me back for the fifth season.
I loved it as a fan, and I fell in love with it. But that just made me want to be even more careful. I think that John Dalton has as much of Kevin as Taylor Sheridan does, based on what I saw Kevin build and how the world is. And when you work with Taylor and spend time with him, you get a strong sense of how he is as a person, and I think Kevin is probably playing with the same things.
This summer, the second half of “Yellowstone Season 5” will start airing.
