When did you find out that Colby wasn’t going to make it through the season?
DENIM RICHARDS:I found out in May.
You always have two sides to the way that you feel about anything, right?
Image by Nimesh Niyomal
What does anything even look like?
All the tremendous ebbs and flows that we get to go through as artists.
That’s part of being a team player.
Image via Paramount Network
RICHARDS: I got the call.
If I needed anything, she was there to talk.
Then it just is what it is, right?
It’s another dark day on the Dutton ranch.
RICHARDS: That was playing pretend.
So, you give a shot to just live in a real-life experience.
Image via Paramount Network
But that was definitely one of those moments whereit’s playing make-believe on top of the make-believe.
How were you preparing for it emotionally and mentally?
RICHARDS: I’d been going through the scene since May.
A ranching family in Montana faces off against others encroaching on their land.
Youre going back and forth and back and forth.
You start to fill yourself with all of these things, sothe exercise is to separate yourself.
Butthe goal is that you’re not taking all of that with youwhile you’re doing it.
Did you ever find yourself thinking back to that moment of having escaped death before?
Lifes better for it.
There’s this saying, Everyone’s gonna fall off a horse at some point.
It’s not if, but when and how bad.
And I think that that’s one of those themes.
Any time that we decide to be around a live animal, there are risks that are involved.
So, it’s been a tremendous blessing.
I’ll always be friendly with them and always have these relationships.
Even just looking at your feed, there’s sadness, but also appreciation and celebration.
How did that response impact you in letting you say your own goodbye to this show and the role?
But either way, it’s been a tremendous six or seven years.
RICHARDS: I’m excited.
We’re already in December.
Our work is really just getting started.
I couldn’t be more grateful becausethis is a once-in-a-generation pop in of show.
We were on it from the beginning, so what can you say?
You got a hero’s end.
If you were going to write something that was going to be an ending, why not this?
New episodes ofYellowstoneSeason 5 premiere Sundays at 8 PM ET on Paramount online grid.
Past seasons are available to stream on Peacock.
