Movies - TV
How Clint Eastwood Landed Luke Grimes A Leading
Role In Yellowstone
By DREW TINNIN
Clint Eastwood's "American Sniper" chronicled the military career of eagle-eyed military sharpshooter Chris Kyle. Bradley Cooper was gripping as Kyle, but performers like the underrated Kyle Gallner, Keir O'Donnell, and a very young Luke Grimes, star of "Yellowstone," also gave effective performances that helped Eastwood's war film find a more realistic foundation.
Clint Eastwood saw something in Grimes when he cast the fairly green young actor which led to his eventual, potentially career-defining role as Kayce Dutton in the rough-and-tumble hit show. When "Yellowstone" was in early development, Sheridan and co-creator John Linson were watching "American Sniper" and happened to notice Grimes and take note.
Both creatives felt he could embody Kayce Dutton with the chutzpah needed for the role. Grimes told the story from his point of view in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, saying, "I don't know if that helped my chances or got me to the top of the list or what, but I do know that he saw that movie and that he's a big fan of Clint Eastwood, as am I."