Ranch dressing: Luke Grimes, Kelsey Asbille keep things hopping on Paramount’s ‘Yellowstone’

“There’s a lot less murder and it’s a little less dramatic,” says Luke Grimes, the actor who plays Kayce Dutton, the laid-back son of Kevin Costner’s John Dutton.

“Kevin Costner doesn’t live there,” he adds. “But Taylor (Sheridan, the show’s creator) tries to be really authentic to the western way of life. He’s kind of making the world its own and raising the stakes. All the cowboy stuff and cattle ranching stuff they try to make as real as possible.”

While Grimes and Kelsey Asbille, who plays his wife, Monica, do their share of riding, they pull back when it comes to roping.

“It’s one of those things that if you don’t start learning when you’re tiny, it’s nearly impossible to become really good at,” Grimes says. “They got us out there trying and learning stuff and riding horses all the time. We’re doing our best, but I wouldn’t say we’re real cowboys by any stretch.”

In the fifth season of “Yellowstone,” Grimes and Asbille are charged with keeping things in line on the homefront. With others dabbling in politics, it’s up to them to stay close to ranch.

Monica and Kayce also are expecting their second child and worried about what that could mean.

“I had the biggest baby bump,” Asbille says during a Zoom interview. “I was completely immobile. But it was great practice.”

Their son Tate, played by Brecken Merrill, has grown quite a bit since the last season and is often seen in play with Costner. “It’s just been such a joy to watch him grow up,” says Asbille. “And he’s so good in those scenes.”

One, near the end of the first episode, is particularly moving. “That’s really his moment,” Asbille says. “I was a proud TV mama.”

While Costner’s screen time is limited, “he’s like a movie star that they don’t really make anymore,” she says. “You’re very much in awe, but he’s also someone who really loves his work. That’s very infectious. I had a couple of really powerful moments this season with him that I just loved.”

Like Costner, Asbille has been a big fan of Sheridan’s work. She appeared in his film, “Wind River,” and was called when “Yellowstone” was in the development stage.

“I was just over the moon because ‘River” was such a special and important project to me,” she says. “To continue in his world was a real privilege.”

“Taylor Sheridan’s West,” as she calls his projects, puts “two groups of people in conversation with each other. It’s able to actually highlight important issues in a way that can speak to the hearts and minds of people. That’s a powerful tool.”

In “Yellowstone,” Kayce and Monica represent a softer side to the Duttons – they’re not as brash as Beth or as calculating as Jamie.

“Kayce is very vulnerable, compared to the rest of the Duttons,” Grimes says. “They’re very powerful. They say what they want and go after what they want. Kayce sort of feels things and carries his emotions on his sleeve. He seems to be the bleeding heart of the family.

“He really loves that family…and he loves his own family. That’s sort of the crux where he always finds himself – between these two things.”

In the fifth season there’s reason for the Duttons and their ranch hands to celebrate. Peppered into the bunkhouse “are actually legit badass cowboys,” Grimes says. “It’s fun to hang with them. They’re great, great guys and they’re always down to teach us things.”

Because so much happens in the next year, “Yellowstone” isn’t likely to stretch out the action.

“I don’t think it’ll be like one of those shows that goes past its due date,” Grimes says. “Taylor wouldn’t let that happen. I don’t think it will go too long. It’ll be just right.”

“Yellowstone” begins its fifth season Nov. 13 on the Paramount Network. 

“Yellowstone” stars Luke Grimes and Kelsey Ashbille talk about the series’ upcoming season