‘Yellowstone’ Star Wes Bentley’s Jamie Dutton Is In Serious Danger This Season

Jamie Dutton may have been safe during the devastating attacks on the Duttons in the Season 3 finale, but he is still in grave danger. With his ex-con biological father, Garrett Randall (Will Patton), as his only confidante, Jamie is on his own for the first time ever after betraying his adoptive family. While Beth (Kelly Reilly) thinks Jamie is responsible for the attacks on her, Kayce (Luke Grimes) and John (Kevin Costner), Yellowstone fans may well wonder—after watching his plans crash and burn repeatedly in past seasons—whether he is capable of orchestrating of such events.

The increased presence of Garrett Randall in his life certainly puts Jamie on a perilous path. Garrett doesn’t have to work hard to manipulate Jamie into buying a ranch near the Yellowstone, but it’s clear his influence is powerful. We got the chance to speak with Wes Bentley via Zoom to talk about what’s in store for Jamie in Season 4 and just how seriously he should be taking Beth’s threats.

Decider: The volatile relationship between Beth and Jamie is one of the most interesting dynamics on Yellowstone, and they have a doozy of a scene in Episode 1 of the new season. How seriously does Jamie take her threats?

Wes Bentley: Very seriously. Beth herself wouldn’t necessarily make the last move against Jamie, but she could definitely get someone else to do her bidding. She feels betrayed by Jamie. She’s so upset and so hurt that she truly is dangerous. The scene between our characters in the Season 4 premiere stands out because Beth’s threat feels different this time given everything that has happened. I mean, she threatens to kill him. I don’t think Jamie has a sense of why she’s so venomous, and that, for me, is what’s so interesting about the scene.

What’s your favorite thing about Kelly Reilly as a scene partner?

She’s great. From the beginning, we’ve known that we’ve had to trust each other, and we do. We have developed a naturally friendly relationship which is important because we have to collaborate on these scenes so intensely. They involve physical sparring as well as important information that the viewers need to take in. We work those moments out in advance so that they have punch but manage to move the plot along even with all the craziness. Fans respond to them because they know they’re going to learn something.

Jamie pretty much cut ties with the Duttons at the end of Season 3, but, as Kayce points out, Jamie only leased the Dutton land to Market Equities for the airport. Does Jamie still have a soft spot for John Dutton and the Yellowstone?

Well, you may be on to something there. That’s clever. There are a lot of little hints peppered in Jamie’s scenes, and it’s not always the obvious things that tell you what you want to know. You’ve got to notice those minor things too—that may have just been said in passing—that might show where the show is heading.

One of the relationships viewers want to see more of is the one between Jamie and Garrett Randle. Given his ominous advice in Season 3 to “kill the king,” it seems like Garrett’s influence could lead Jamie further astray than John Dutton’s ever did. How will Garrett’s increased presence affect Jamie?

Garrett’s a dangerous man. Jamie is only turning to him because he’s been rejected by John. He’s lost and now he doesn’t even know who he is. Garrett is clearly a bad influence, but now Jamie’s leaning on this guy. He’s leaning on him for love and attention and advice, so Jamie is in dangerous position right now.

What’s it like to work opposite the great Will Patton?

Will Patton is one of those actors that I’ve dreamed about working with. I just love this guy and his acting approach. We think alike is many ways and have learned to working together very easily. We have created some of the most intense scenes that I have experienced in my acting career. I often felt ethereal when these scenes are over—like I was floating—because we just pulled everything out.

In Season 2, Jamie was told by Christina that she was pregnant. That storyline seems ripe for revisiting. Would fatherhood be a good thing for Jamie? Is that something you would like to see for the character?

That would be interesting. Jamie believes in family and family love. That’s what he wanted so bad. In a way, fatherhood could be good for Jamie. However, he’s also a flawed human being and self-serving, so it’s difficult. People are complicated, but all kinds of people are parents, so it’s hard to say. Maybe being a father could do him good.