Yellowstone‘s Wes Bentley is opening up about the life-altering choices Jamie Dutton has made throughout Paramount’s number one series, and it feels like there’s almost a neverending list of them to choose from.
In a chat with TV Insider, Bentley laughed as he said that it would probably be easier to talk about his best choices — because it would be a far shorter list. Jamie is known for making some incredibly lackluster choices, and that’s putting it mildly. Why does Bentley believe there have been so many moments for his character that stand out as overwhelmingly negative?
It’s a snowball effect, as he explains, “I’m trying to go back in my head because it feels like every time I think of one, there’s one before it that led to that one, right?” Fans have a general idea of what Jamie’s worst choice was, and while some write it off as a decision made when he was a teenager, it could be seen as one of the first things that started that overall streak of making the wrong choice.
Yes, we’re talking about that choice — the one he made for his sister without her knowledge.
“Yeah, you’re right. That’s before he was of the age where he maybe fully understood what that all meant. Being a man, you’re an ignorant man just by nature. You don’t, even if you want to know, always fully understand, right? And you can argue Jamie saw the fear of John being more important.”
Bentley says there’s certainly an argument about why he thought that was his only decision; fans aren’t sure they’re buying it. That led him to really dig in and think about the worst choice that Jamie ever made, and it still carries a heavy weight to this day. It didn’t just change the trajectory of Beth’s life; it changed things for their family as a whole.
“The worst thing Jamie did was k*lling the reporter after he told her too much for a story. I got sick doing that. That was sickening. So in action, that was the worst thing. In the root cause, though, it’s letting his father tell him who to be.”
There’s a theme in Jamie’s choice that Bentley sees as unfavorable, and it all goes back to his father. Jamie considered what his father felt was important when it came to Beth and the sterilization procedure, and when he k*lled the reporter, he says that decision was based on his father once again. Some would agree that Jamie has always felt the weight of John’s desires, while others — well, to some, it sounds like a lousy excuse.
No matter what, we can all agree that the Dutton family is at a crossroads, and there’s no way survival is possible for everyone. Someone is going to pay for the bad choices of everyone, and soon. Yellowstone returns this summer for the second half of season five, and fans can see who lives, who dies, and who will come out on top.
“They’re gonna k*ll him now,” the actor says of what’s to come after Jamie’s midseason finale move.
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 k*ll 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.
Wes Bentley is Yellowstone‘s Jamie Dutton, and with the conclusion of the midseason finale of season five, he’s got m*rder on the brain.
Of course, with a train station that the Dutton family frequents, m*rder isn’t unheard of at the Yellowstone. In fact, fans saw Jamie take the life of his biological father at the end of season four, and it was an intense moment to say the least. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Bentley shared a lot of insight into what Jamie has been up against as a character, where his storyline is likely headed, and even talked about what he and Kelly Reilly go through to prepare for their intense scenes.
When asked if he thinks Jame is truly capable of k*lling Beth, Bentley says he believes he has to be. There are no choices now, there is only life or death, and he’s not ready to die.
“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 k*ll 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 k*ll me now.” So my move has to be asking for help k*lling her. I don’t know if he could do it with his own hands. He did k*ll 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.”
Part of the catalyst for the new version of Jamie is the love lost between himself and Beth. While Beth has felt nothing but disdain for her brother for years, Jamie used to hold a candle for their relationship, believing that there would be a day when they’d find common ground to stand upon again.
After everything that happened in the fourth season, Bentley said that Jamie had lost all hope in a future where the two could be anything but enemies. The loss of that hope also extinguished something in Jamie, and we’ve seen a different side of him since; while some would say he’s grown more confident, it’s also painfully apparent that he’s missing something; a light within him is far dimmer.
We’ll have to wait to see who lives and who dies when season five returns this summer, but no matter what happens from here, the battle lines are drawn, and the Dutton family war is just beginning.