‘It’s Over,’ Echoed Wes Bentley’s Jamie: Inside Yellowstone’s clash of the Dutton siblings
Yellowstone’s Wes Bentley talks about his character Jamie’s breaking point, escalating feud with sister Beth and his dark journey towards revenge in a candid interview with TVLine.
“It’s Over,” Wes Bentley’s character Jamie chillingly declared in the Yellowstone mid-season finale. But did Jamie speak too soon? The Dutton family’s feud is far from settled. In a recent tell-all interview with TVLine, Bentley, who brings the controversial character to life, dove deep into the twisted dynamics of the Dutton family.
Reflecting on the intense confrontation between Jamie and Beth, Bentley asserted, “Jamie thinks in moves. He thinks ahead and thinks it through 100 times.” “It feels inevitable that even on a cold, calculated level, that has to play out,” he added, pointing to the clash as inevitable. This was confirmed when Beth retorted to Jamie’s announcement of the end of their war with a simple “No, Jamie, it’s not.” Wes’s interpretation of Jamie’s mindset? “Oh, well, there’s my cue! They’re going to try and kill me, I have to try and kill them.”
Nevertheless, the actor acknowledges Jamie’s longing for reconciliation. He adds, “I absolutely, 100-percent think he wanted to resolve the pain between them.” But Jamie’s attempts at peace are consistently met with Beth’s unwavering bitterness. “There is nothing there from her for him,” Bentley admits. This tension contributes to a dangerous escalation of their rivalry.
Delving into the significance of Beth’s threat to Jamie’s son, Bentley illuminates a major breaking point for his character. He shares, “That’s about his son, who he does care about. He does see a future for his son, although he doesn’t see one for himself anymore. For her to threaten a child, his child… this is sickness beyond belief.”
Addressing Jamie’s potential to take down John along with Beth, Bentley suggests, “Both have to go, because you can’t take one without the other.”
The actor shows empathy for his character, justifying some of his actions. “He’s getting nothing by being this pretend Jamie, this lawyer version of [himself]… He just wants to be one of the cowboys taking care of the ranch, traditionally, like everybody else gets to do.” However, despite Jamie’s desires, his existence remains tumultuous, bound by power games and the legacy of the land taken by the Dutton family.
“It’s a sloppy mess, but it’s a mess they made,” concludes Bentley, painting a grim picture of the state of affairs as Yellowstone’s Season 5 continues.
