‘Yellowstone’ stars smitten with Fort Worth’s charm. But what exactly does that mean?
How Fort Worth got roped into hosting the Season 5 premiere of “Yellowstone” is all Taylor Sheridan.
“They said we’re gonna do a premiere in LA, are you gonna come? I said, ‘No’,” Sheridan told the packed crowd inside the Downtown Cowtown at the Isis Theater Sunday, amid groans and a smattering of boos.
This is Texas after all, not LaLa Land.
“Well, we’re having a premiere in New York, you gonna come? I said, ‘No’,” he told his adoring audience. “They said, Dallas? I said, ‘How about 36 miles west?’”
That’s right. Fort Worth.
Sheridan’s bullish insistence got his show’s premiere screened in Cowtown. Having it on the same weekend as Fort Worth’s Lone Star Film Festival, well, that’s all happenstance, he said. He, along with a few “Yellowstone” cohorts, were honored at the festival with the Larry McMurtry Award for his contributions to filmmaking as a native Texan.
“Hollywood comes to Fort Worth, as opposed to the other way around,” Sheridan said to cheers in the theater before the screening.
The Stockyards soiree brought out a select list of stars from the Paramount Network television show. Joining Sheridan at the premiere were Kevin Costner’s TV son, Luke Grimes, who plays “Kayce Dutton,” and Kelsey Asbille, who play’s Grime’s onscreen wife, “Monica Dutton.” Even Brecken Merrill, who plays John Dutton’s grandson, was at the shindig.
Grimes said he’s been to Fort Worth a few times, mainly to hangout and shoot the bull with Sheridan, who lives in nearby Weatherford.
“I love it here man, it’s cool as shit,” Grimes said on the red carpet. “I wasn’t a cowboy before this show, but now I want to be one. I think if you want to be a cowboy, you got to know about Fort Worth.”
Asbille, Grime’s on-screen wife Monica Dutton, said a visit in October was her first time to step foot in Cowtown. While Gil Birmingham, who plays Chief Rainwater on the show, is a regular visitor to Fort Worth and said he was happy to be back.
Another star for whom this visit was also a first was 20-year-old Kyle Silverstein, who plays “Young Rip Wheeler” on the show.
“Just being here, I know, everything is bigger in Texas and the first meal I got was definitely bigger,” Silverstein said. “It was just a little bit bigger than usual and I liked it.”
His first meal was an “All-American” breakfast, and it consisted of eggs, bacon and the works. Good thing the young Californian is trying to bulk up a bit to be more like Cole Hauser, the older version of his character.
“Luckily I get big meals here,” Silverstein said with a big grin.
Then there is Piper Perabo, who joined the “Yellowstone” cast in season 4 as activist “Summer Higgins.” She grew up in Dallas and is quite familiar with Fort Worth. Having the premiere so close to her hometown made her happy, she said, and her dad gladly passed on restaurant tips her way.
“My father was telling me where I should go eat and I was like, ‘Daddy that was like 30 years ago’,” Perabo said with a laugh. “He was like, ‘Oh, there’s a good steak house over there.’”
Sheridan’s Texas connection kept coming up with the cast of “Yelowstone.” Ian Bohen, who plays one of the ranch hands at the Dutton Ranch, tells a story of a roadtrip he once took with the show’s creator years ago.
“I took a road trip from Los Angeles to Fort Worth with Taylor [Sheridan], 15 years ago to go dove hunting and I’ll never drive it again,” Bohen said, half joking. “It’s nice to come here by airplane and I like the town and am gonna go to [Dallas] Mavericks game on Tuesday.”
All in all, the stars seemed smitten with the Texas charm of Fort Worth.
“It’s great to be back, what other places should we be having a season 5 premiere of ‘Yellowstone’ than right here,” said Denim Richards, who plays “Colby,” another ranch hand. “We’re super excited to be back in Texas.”
“Yellowstone” airs at 7 p.m. on Sunday’s on the Paramount Network.
This story was originally published November 15, 2022 at 7:12 AM.
