Yellowstone might be the most popular drama on television, but it’s not getting any love from Hollywood. Taylor Sheridan’s epic, modern-day Western is at the top of the ratings. But the cast and crew have been repeatedly snubbed by awards shows since its premiere in 2018. How does the cast really feel about getting ignored by the industry?
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Part of the cast of ‘Yellowstone’ — Wes Bentley, Luke Grimes, Kelsey Asbille, Gil Birmingham, Cole Hauser and Kai Caster | Roy Rochlin/WireImage
At the Yellowstone Season 5 premiere, star Wes Bentley (Jamie Dutton) told The Daily Mail that being snubbed during awards season doesn’t bother him because he doesn’t think “awards validate anything.”
“It’s an honor, as they say, but as far as it saying whether we are doing something good or not, that’s not what that is,” Bentley said. “Many, many shows don’t get that recognition that deserve it and many do get it that don’t deserve it. It’s just the matter of opinion of each particular academy.”
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Bentley knows the show is a success because people are watching. He says the conversations he has with fans are “so much deeper than the usual.”
Gil Birmingham says ‘Hollywood is a fickle beast’
Yellowstone is a Montana-based series that quickly became popular in the rural areas of the country, aka the “flyover states.” It’s been dubbed “anti-woke” by critics because of the storylines and geography, which makes the show stand out amongst its competition. The size of its audience has steadily increased each season, until it exploded in season 4 when the finale pulled in more than 15 million viewers.
Star Gil Birmingham (Chief Thomas Rainwater) agrees with Bentley’s take that success is found in a growing fanbase, not by winning awards.
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“Hollywood is a fickle beast. I think that it’s more important that we have captured the hearts and minds of the audience and our fans,” Birmingham said. “Westerns are not a genre that, historically speaking, typically gets rewarded.”
The cast finally got some recognition earlier this year when the ensemble received a Screen Actor’s Guild Award nomination for Outstanding Performance. But they didn’t win.
Kelsey Asbille says it was nice to be recognized with a SAG nomination, while Jefferson White hopes the ‘Yellowstone’ cast will finally be recognized
The Yellowstone cast attended the SAG Awards and walked the red carpet alongside their industry peers. And even though they didn’t win, star Kelsey Asbille (Monica Dutton) says it was nice just to be there and be recognized with a nomination.
“Being at the SAG awards altogether was so meaningful but awards are definitely not what it’s all about,” Asbille insisted. “This is a dream job and we’re just happy to be here.”
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Meanwhile, Jefferson White (Jimmy Hurdstrom) says he’d like to see the show get some award recognition in season 5.
“I hope this season does get awards because I love these actors and I think they are doing amazing work. I hope that other people recognize that but also it really is true that the fan’s response to it is the recognition that these actors deserve, and we are so lucky to have that,” White said.
Yellowstone Season 5 premiered Nov. 13 on the Paramount Network.
This article was written by Perry Carpenter from The Cheat Sheet and was legally licensed through the Industry Dive Content Marketplace. Please direct all licensing questions to [email protected].
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