Why Marshals Star Luke Grimes Has No Interest In Watching The Yellowstone Universe Shows

"Yellowstone" became a part of the cultural zeitgeist in the early 2020s as millions of people tuned in to see the latest drama in Montana with the Dutton Family. More than 11 million people tuned in when the series finale aired in 2024, followed by another two million over the next two days. However, one person who is not accounted for in those staggering statistics is someone who was actually in the hit show: Luke Grimes, who played Kayce Dutton in "Yellowstone." Grimes did not watch himself on the show, a habit he's continued with the spinoff series "Marshals," which has a cast you might recognize. That includes Grimes, who may be familiar to viewers of "True Blood."

Now, it's not that Grimes doesn't like the material — it's that he finds it too uncomfortable to watch himself. In an interview with HeyUGuys, Grimes was asked about how he likes to watch the show, and he said: "I don't watch myself ... I won't watch it. Not because I'm, like, too cool to. I just, I get really self-conscious, and then I feel like it affects the work."

Grimes is hardly the only actor who isn't a fan of seeing themselves on screen; he joins the likes of Andrew Garfield, Jesse Eisenberg, and Reese Witherspoon. The perspective is certainly understandable, but it's too bad that Grimes doesn't get to enjoy his work in the way that his fans do. Even though he's not tuning in to his show, there are a lot of people who are – "Marshals" was one of the most watched-shows of the 2025/2026 season.

Luke Grimes may not watch himself as Kayce Dutton, but that doesn't mean he doesn't love the character. Grimes explained to HeyUGuys why he likes Kayce: "He's got a big heart. He tries to do the right thing." It's also a role where Grimes gets to embrace some of his childhood dreams. "It's all the things I wanted as a boy when I wanted to be an actor," he explained to Entertainment Weekly. "I wanted to play a soldier, I wanted to play a cowboy. This show is all of those little boyhood dreams wrapped into one character." That enthusiasm is absolutely present on screen in "Marshals," with Grimes' stunning transformation from a kid dreaming of cowboys to a handsome and commanding actor on full display for the audience to see.

His own talent and the appeal of Kayce Dutton as a character may not be as apparent to Grimes as it is to his audience, though. In fact, as he told Entertainment Weekly, he had expressed some deep concerns early on when "Marshals" was being developed. "I was like, 'If you take a poll of who people want to have a spinoff, I don't know if Kayce would be top of that list. I think there's other characters that they would rather see.' So there was a fire under me, like, it has to be good. If it's not good, I'd rather not do it." Considering the show's viewing numbers, it certainly seems like people thought it was good. Maybe one day he'll join them.