‘Yellowstone’: Josh Lucas Had His Eye on a Different Role Than Young John Dutton
Josh Lucas returned for Yellowstone Season 5 after a long absence from the series. The actor plays the mustachioed young John Dutton in flashbacks throughout the series. Lucas was excited at the opportunity to work with Taylor Sheridan. However, he originally had his eye on a very different role.
Josh Lucas plays young John Dutton in ‘Yellowstone’
Actor Josh Lucas plays young John Dutton in several flashbacks throughout Yellowstone. His character has helped to explain events from the family’s past, such as how John’s wife, Evelyn, died. “There’s no doubt that the John that Kevin is playing later in his life has both mellowed and, strangely enough, is hardened,” Lucas said in a BTS video from Paramount Network.
The actor added that his version of John “probably has more optimism in a sense until the death of his wife just shatters him.” Yellowstone Season 5 continues young John Dutton’s story after Evelyn’s death. In one flashback, he confronts a group of workers who are spraying pesticides on his land. John has young Rip Wheeler, and some of his other ranch hands destroy their construction equipment in the middle of the night.
Lucas was initially interested in playing Rip Wheeler
Josh Lucas has been a fan of Taylor Sheridan for quite some time. However, he had a very different role in mind when he first thought about appearing in Yellowstone. “I wanted to be in the pilot,” Lucas told Deadline. “In fact, I’ve not said this to people, I really wanted to play Rip. But he clearly wanted Cole Hauser, and it was kinda cool for me because I’ve known Cole since we were like 17, 18 years old.”
In the BTS video, Lucas shared that Sheridan didn’t originally cast him in Yellowstone, but the actor didn’t give up. “I sent him little notes or messages about why made a mistake,” laughed Lucas. “Then strangely, I got this text saying could I be on set the next day for a different character and a different part, and I’m kind of amazed and grateful that it happened that way.”
Season 5 has several important flashbacks
At the start of the series, Sheridan warned Lucas that his role in the series would be pretty small for a while. “Taylor told me back before we started shooting the first little pieces that it’s not gonna be much for me in the first couple years,” Lucas told Deadline.
“I truly remember lying in my son’s bunk bed in the basement of our house in Harlem, New York City, like at midnight talking on the phone to Taylor Sheridan for the very first time, and him telling me that season five is where young John will become prominent.”
True to his word, Lucas has been in season 5 a lot more, but he’s not sure what’s to come for the remainder of the season. “I don’t know how much more after episode eight,” Lucas continued, adding that he hopes to continue with the series. He stated, “I love doing the show, but I don’t think anybody knows. I think it’s entirely in Taylor’s head.”
New episodes of season 5 of Yellowstone premiere Sunday nights on Paramount Network.
