Fans of Taylor Sheridan’s Western saga Yellowstone are still reeling over the death of Colby Mayfield, beautifully portrayed by Denim Richards over the course of 5 seasons. He met his demise saving Carter (Finn Little) from a “man-eater” colt and being kicked in the chest. Colby’s tragic passing hits even harder because he had finally, FINALLY, professed his love to Teeter (Jen Landon), the mush-mouthed ranch hand from Texarkana.
“It’s been overwhelming in a beautiful way,” said Richards of the outpouring of love he has received from viewers after his final episode aired. While Richards admits he was hoping that “1 or 2 people would feel something” about Colby’s death, he was shocked to read the “thousands of comments that have poured in across all social platforms” in support of him and his character. As someone who dreamed of being an actor since he was a kid, the experience has been “really powerful” for Richards who says that he has always “dreamed of being able to impact people’s emotions and take them on a journey.”
While it was hard for Richards to learn of his character’s fate, it was even harder for his Bunkhouse boys co-stars, Ian Bohen, Jefferson White and Jen Landon. “Ian and Jeff, we’ve been together since the beginning,” explained Richards. “We have this bond because we have had these long, long hours together.” As for Landon, Richards considers her to a be a “beautiful human” and added that the two talked after Richards’ final episode aired. “It’s a testimony to the job that we did that fans are so affected by Colby’s death,” mused Richards. “People really care.”
Richards hopped on a Zoom to break down last night’s gut-wrenching episode, talk about what he’s learned from Stories From The Bunkhouse, and share his hopes of working with Sheridan in the future.
DECIDER: The Yellowstone fandom is heartbroken by Colby’s fate. How does it feel to see all the reactions and posts on social media?
DENIM RICHARDS: It’s been overwhelming in a beautiful way. I didn’t really know how Colby’s death would land. I was hoping 1 or 2 people would feel something [laughs]. The thousands of comments that have poured in across all social platforms have been really powerful. This is one of the reasons that I have wanted to be an actor since I was a kid. I dreamed of being able to impact people’s emotions and take them on a journey. With Colby and Yellowstone, it seems like we may have done that. It makes me feel good.
How did you learn about Colby death?
I found out in May. I was coming back to L.A. after speaking at the US/Africa Business Summit in Dallas. I got the call from Christina [Alexandra Voros, Yellowstone EP/director]. I hadn’t even looked at the scripts yet because I’ had been traveling and busy doing other things. Christina was very gentle, and we had a good conversation. Of course, it’s just human nature to be like, “What? Why? How? No!” [Laughs] However, your job as an actor is to service the story. That’s what you’re paid to do, right?
With a show like Yellowstone that is so immersive, the actors are is constantly walking a tightrope between the characters they play and their own personalities. The two naturally become intertwined. I spent a lot of time at cowboy camp and in the bunkhouse playing Colby. So when I found out he was going to die, it was a bit challenging emotionally, especially when we, as a cast, were doing upfronts and premieres. It was a gauntlet I had to navigate, but I think I handled it very well.
I agree! I can only imagine how the Bunkhouse boys reacted to the news. Who took it the hardest?
Ian and Jeff. We’ve been together since the beginning. Though, we’ll still be working on Stories From The Bunkhouse [on the Yellowstone YouTube Channel] to break down the season together for the fans. The episode when we talk about Colby’s death was a weird one to shoot [laughs]. We warned the crew that we might “need a couple of takes for this because we’re so emotional.” It was hard because we formed this bond during long, long hours together.
Jen and I have had some great conversations. Teeter shook up the bunkhouse when she was introduced back in Season 3. The audience has really supported the Teeter/ Colby storyline, so it’s no surprise that fans are so devastated by his death.
Earlier in the episode, Colby finally admits he loves Teeter and Teeter says it back, only for their story to reach a tragic end. Colby and Teeter’s connection is one of the beating hearts of the series. What was it like to craft that dynamic with Jen Landon?
It’s been so fun. I remember when Taylor showed me Jen’s audition tape at the end of Season 2. He was so excited, but I couldn’t understand a thing she said with her accent. He told me to trust him and it would all come together. He was right. When Jen came on, she was such a professional. She took Teeter and ran with her. It’s been so fun to play with her on camera as well as getting to know her outside of work. She’s a beautiful human. We talked for a moment last night. I think it’s a testament to the job that we did that fans are so affected by Colby’s death. People really care, and to me, that means a job well done.
I went back and rewatched the phone call between Colby and Teeter at the beginning of the episode. It’s so, so bittersweet now. Can you talk about filming that scene?
Obviously, I knew this was the last phone call Colby was ever going to have with Teeter. But, as a professional, it was my job to live in that moment. I was very conscious not to overdo it dramatically. It had to feel like a regular workday, another day on horseback, another conversation. It was a fun challenge.
Earlier in Season 5, John Dutton’s friend Emmett Walsh died during the annual cattle drive, and John was envious that he “died on the trail, like every cowboy dreams.” Is it a comfort to you as an actor that Colby died a “cowboy’s death” while on the job?
Throughout this season, Taylor has been really mindful about infusing more of the realities of the cowboy way of life into the series. Once you get past the “train station” and the explosions and all of that, you realize that the show is really rooted by its cowboys. Like John says, it is every cowboy’s dream to die on the trail.For Colby, I think he’d prefer going out doing cowboy work and saving a kid instead of getting killed at a bar during a night out or getting caught up in an revenge plot, right? It’s a lot more gratifying.
Should Carter blame himself for Colby’s death? Or was it Colby’s choice to help?
Carter is a kid making a decision based on what he believes to be right. He is trying to prove yourself on the ranch, so he took a chance and bad things happened. It’s easy for Carter to blame himself, but, at the end of the day, Colby made his own choice. Cowboys encounter situations when they have to put themselves at risk. Colby believed his responsibility was protect those under him. He didn’t go to Carter’s aid thinking he was going to die, but cowboys never do. At cowboy camp, they had this saying: everybody falls off a horse at some point. It’s not if, but when and then how bad. Cowboys know that bad things could happen and it is what it is.
The Stories from the Bunkhouse series on the Yellowstone YouTube channel is so beloved by audiences. What have you learned by breaking down the Yellowstone each week?
Working on the series has helped me evaluate the type of artist I want to be and understand the care that is required to achieve that goal. I’ve learned so much from Kevin [Costner], Cole [Hausger], Kelly [Reilly] and Luke [Grimes] about how to be a professional, what that means and looks like. Being able to do Stories from the Bunkhouse allowed me to appreciate the attention to detail and careful preparation that go into an actor’s performance. Doing the show has made me much better at my craft.
The deeper you get into a series like Yellowstone, the less important you realize you are as an individual. At the end of the day, actors must service the story. As an actor, it’s easy to make a project about you and your experience. In reality, you’re a thread in this giant tapestry, so be a really good thread.
Taylor Sheridan has numerous other shows currently in production. Is there a show in his universe that you’d like to appear on next? And why?
He’s creating so many beautiful shows. If I were to do something else with him—which I hope I do—I would want it to be something entirely different. I think audiences could be thrown off if I were to show up in Landman or something similarly rugged.
Maybe Taylor can so something set in a coffee shop [laughs]. I can come in and play the barista. He’s doing such phenomenal things. I know this is only the beginning of our working relationship. Any time that Taylor calls, I pick up the phone and I say yes first. The questions get asked later.
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