‘Yellowstone’ Star Luke Grimes Reveals What Made Him Move to Montana: “L.A. Scared Me to Death”

Luke Grimes played Kayce Dutton on the hit show Yellowstone throughout its six-year run. While immersing himself in the Dutton family’s struggles, he saw several life changes. For instance, he released his self-titled debut album earlier this year, crossing over from acting to music. Additionally, Grimes moved out of Los Angeles and put down roots in Montana.

Recently, Grimes sat down with Men’s Health to talk about the end of Yellowstone, what he learned from playing Kayce Dutton, what his future holds, and more. During the conversation, he reflected on moving to Montana.

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Why Luke Grimes Moved to Montana While Filming Yellowstone

Luke Grimes and Kayce Dutton are very different men. However, that didn’t stop his time on Yellowstone from changing his outlook on life. It seems that the simple life offered by living in Montana made an impression on him.

“We film in this place called Bitterroot Valley, and I actually moved there four years ago,” Grimes said. “I started falling in love with it little by little, and then I started noticing that it felt weird to leave and go back to Los Angeles. It’s like I slowly started switching gears. L.A. scared me to death, honestly,” he added.

Grimes and his wife decided to move to Montana during the pandemic. Health restrictions made it necessary for the cast and crew to travel to the Bitterroot Valley to film the entire season. “The options were ‘come the whole time or don’t come at all.’ So she came. We rented a really nice house there. And we got so into it. We built a house, and it’s the best place I’ve ever lived,” he explained.

Grimes went on to say that Montana had an impact on Yellowstone as a whole. “I think Montana is the biggest character in the show. It’s about the land. It’s about the ranch and the scenery. And that’s probably why a lot of people fell in love with the show so much,” he explained. “We started to get a serious audience [during the pandemic]. It was a time where everyone was locked inside, and there was something so romantic about watching a show where everyone’s on horseback looking at endless beautiful vistas,” he added.

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