Yellowstone star Dawn Olivieri has spoken out after her character, Sarah Atwood, was killed off in the latest episode of the beloved Paramount Network drama.
Fans were left in shock after Sarah was murdered by two assassins in cold blood on Sunday night in a huge plot twist.
Her dramatic exit came after she had ordered the death of Kevin Costner’s iconic lead character John Dutton.
It also marks the second time Dawn’s character has been killed off in the Yellowstone franchise, as her character, Claire Dutton, was also murdered in the prequel series 1833.
Breaking her silence on her unexpected departure, Dawn, 43, said that she believed Sarah wasn’t supposed to have been axed so soon, but because Kevin, 69, quit the writers had to quickly ‘wrap things up.’
She said: ‘I did know there was an exit strategy for him [Kevin], but I don’t think I was supposed to go as soon as I did.
‘I think that was going to happen, but because we had to wrap this all up in lightning speed, I think it had to go down the way it went.
‘I believe I was meant to go into the next season and continue on as a character. So, I think because of the situation, everything got changed around.’
Dawn continued to The Hollywood Reporter: ‘The storyline had to go full throttle to figure out how to tie up every end and move things along. I’m grateful.
‘It’s a pretty monumental role that I think goes down in history in a way because of what happened and how it played out.’
And Dawn’s exit has all worked out well because showrunner Taylor Sheridan has moved her onto another one of his projects, Lioness.
She added: ‘He moved me there. They didn’t want to announce that beforehand, because that would be a spoiler and tip everyone off.
‘It’s out of control. He’s a crazy man, and I love it so much!’
Sarah was killed by two assassins from the company she hired to kill John while she was on the phone with Jamie in gripping season five scenes.
Her death came after Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) met with the medical examiner and made enough observations to convince her John’s death was not a suicide, and actually a homicide.
After the cause of death was changed from a suicide to a homicide, Sarah desperately tried to get in touch with the company she hired to kill the patriarch, even getting a burner phone to contact them.
However, when she tried calling them, the number was out of service.
When Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley) returned home, the two argued about how the murder investigation would make things more complicated, with Jamie ultimately slapping Sarah, leading to her leaving.
Jamie was quick to call and apologize, but during the call, a car pulled up to Sarah, with a couple asking for her help.
They asked directions to a place Sarah hadn’t heard of, but then the man asked if she was Sarah Atwood, which took her by surprise.
When she was starting to ask how he’d know her name, he quickly pulled a gun and killed her while she was on the phone with Jamie.