Yellowstone star Wes Bentley on whether Jamie will kill Beth: 'I think he has to'
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Warning: This article contains spoilers for the midseason finale of Yellowstone season 5.
Jamie Dutton is done. After years of fighting with his family — namely his sister, Beth — the slippery attorney general has made it clear where he stands. In the midseason finale of Yellowstone's fifth season, Jamie (Wes Bentley) called for the impeachment of his father, John Dutton (Kevin Costner), who's currently serving as Governor of Montana. And when he revealed his family's history with the "train station" to Beth (Kelly Reilly), she declared war.
"When he says, 'It's over, Beth,' and she says, 'No, it's not,' that's his cue," Bentley tells EW. "'Oh, you're gonna try and kill me now.'"
By episode's end, both Beth and Jamie had made their intentions clear: Each wants to take the other out. As for how exactly that will play out, we'll have to wait until the show returns this summer. But for now, EW spoke to Wesley about Jamie's latest realization and his journey as a whole.
Paramount Network Wes Bentley on 'Yellowstone'
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Before I watched the midseason finale, I had convinced myself that Jamie was playing Sarah [Dawn Olivieri], and that would be the big reveal!
WES BENTLEY: Well, maybe this will make you feel a little bit better: You're not far off. I'll say it that way. Jamie is being used by Sarah Atwood, but Jamie's been used for 30 years of his life by his own family and become well aware of what it's like to be used. At first when I read this, I was like, "Oh man, here we go." But as I let it sink into me, I realized, "Maybe he's seeing an opportunity in her. Maybe he's testing her out too." I think he's also attracted to her, not just physically, but he's attracted to what kind of person she is. And there's something there, some evil power-couple thing happening between 'em.
So I think it's deeper than just one's using the other. Jamie, just on a purely clinical level, does see her as someone he could use if needed. So you're not totally off. By the end he's saying, "Do you know anybody that can kill my family?" That's him revealing what his intentions were.
I feel like I'm stupidly still holding out hope for him to somehow come through and be a Dutton again, but —
I don't know if you should.
It's fine. I get it. In terms of the rest of season 5, do you know where it's going, or are you kind of waiting to see?
No, I'm waiting to see, and to be honest, if I did, I wouldn't say anything because the joy of the show is the surprises. I love the reactions from everyone, and so we have to give it the time and the correct energy to continue making it as good and as surprising as this. But I don't know yet, and I'm excited to find out like everybody else.
As the person inhabiting Jamie, do you truly think he's capable of going through with killing his sister?
I think he has to. There's an element of: This has to happen now because the play that's been made only allows for that. He knows this. They're gonna kill him now, like he thought they would if he played the impeachment game. He's a chess player. He's three steps ahead. He's thought it through a hundred times. When he says, "It's over, Beth," and she says, "No, it's not," that's his cue. "Oh, you're gonna try and kill me now." So my move has to be asking for help killing her. I don't know if he could do it with his own hands. He did kill his own [birth] father, but Beth is closer to him than his father. You know, they have a close relationship. Part of the pain and hate between them comes from the loss of that wonderful relationship they had before.
Have you and Kelly had to do stunt training for this sibling rivalry?
[Laughs] Yeah. If I remember correctly, she hadn't really done much and she was very nervous about the first fight scene in the barn in season 1. And I was telling her, I've done a lot and you're going to be great. And we just worked through it and she was awesome immediately. She really took to it. That's where the power in Beth comes in, and her physical dominance over him. She just destroys him, you know, dragging him down the hallway. That was very hard. That was the hardest day of all of them. That was very tough for both of us to do and have reasons to do and to really let ourselves go there. The physical stuff can be wild, but we're very good at it and very safe, and we actually have a good time with it despite the craziness.
ROGER SNIDER/Paramount Network Wes Bentley on 'Yellowstone'
One of my biggest questions with Jamie, and I would imagine it's probably changed over the seasons, but for you, what drives him? Is it ambition?
I think it was ambition. It was a belief that he was being made into a prince, being made into what they told him, even though he hated it. "Well at least I'll get this out of it. I'll become governor or something more powerful." But now that's not happening, that's foolish. He knows. Once John stepped in front of him for the governorship, that was it. So now I think what drives him is revenge. What drives him is a bit of power to make a move on that ranch. I think he really wants to have that under his control, and he wants it for his son. I don't know about Tate [Brecken Merrill], who knows what he meant by that. I can't wait to find out myself, you know?
Anyone could die at any point on this show, but now that Jamie has a literal hit out on him, are you like just waiting for the script where you're dead?
Yeah, but I've been doing that since season 1. [Laughs] Every one is my last one in my head, but that's the life of an actor. That's what we do. Every job's my last job until the next one. It's never steady, as they say. So I just learned to not expect anything, except enjoy the moments. And I've had so many as Jamie. It's like I've played many characters in one and I've gone so many places with him. It would be hard to forever let him go in a way, but also I'd feel fulfilled if I had to.
Sometimes I find myself thinking about that brother scene in the pilot, when they're all around a campfire, and that leads me to Jamie's relationship with Kayce [Luke Grimes]. Do you feel like that love and that part of Jamie is still in there somewhere?
Yeah, there is love there. He is iced up now with the rest of the family, he's not letting any emotions in or out anymore when it comes to his experience with John and Beth Dutton. Kayce is the only one that he feels is on the outside of it. He doesn't feel Kayce is a threat to him. I don't think he wants to threaten Kayce. So I think he's hoping that he stays out of what's about to come and almost maybe hoping that Kayce sees the light and the argument that he is making to Beth. There's a lot there that we didn't get to yet.
We need Kayce to step in between his siblings.
He's unpredictable, but he's also like the most steady one now.
I feel like I've been tracking Jamie and John's relationship this season through John's word choice. In the season 4 finale he called him his son, then Jamie's a disappointment, then he's not his son anymore…
How you feel is Jamie's life. His whole life is like, "What does he feel about me?" But I think he knows now that he doesn't love him, never will love him. He doesn't see him as a son. What's great about [showrunner Taylor Sheridan's] writing is he builds in these complicated things. Jamie will admit that he's not his father and then he calls him "father" almost in the same breath. And that's what would happen. That man raised him, so he is his father in that sense, but he doesn't love him. So he is not his father in that sense. And he told him that, "You're not my son." He's made it clear that I'm not in the future of this family and I'm only to be used. So Jamie's clear on it.
Is there a character you'd like to get more scenes with?
I think it'd be interesting with Gil [Birmingham], with Rainwater. That's a potential ally. Now it's a game of allies. You're gaining allies for war. So is that somewhere he goes? I'd love to do scenes with him though. Mo [Moses Brings Plenty] is always a great actor to work with. But I work love working with everybody. It feels like I haven't worked with most of them. It's been a vacuum. I've isolated myself in Montana. I don't really see them much anymore. I'm in this cabin in the woods, but I need it, you know? Because some of these scenes that Taylor gives me, they're all big scenes. So it's like I need to sink so deep into him to bring out the complexity.
Yeah, that's true. You never get a calm scene.
No, I'm never just chilling. It's the biggest challenge in my career, and it takes the most focus. I clash with these big characters, and it does require a real spark. I haven't had seen Rip [Cole Hauser] in a while too, but I feel like at this point I don't think I want that to happen. [Laughs]
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