Wes Bentley Teases ‘Danger’ in Season 5 of Yellowstone After the Unprecedented Season 4 Finale

For all the fellow Yellowstone fans out there, we’ve been through it. Murders, betrayals and unforgivable fights only begin to cover everything we’ve seen throughout the past four seasons of Paramount Network’s hit western. And, with a show that leaves us this much on the edge of our seats, we truly can’t wait for season 5 to come out on Nov 13. As the expectation builds, SheKnows‘ Reshma Gopaldas sat down with Wes Bentley (who plays Jaime Dutton on the show) to talk about his experience playing his complicated character and what we can expect in this new season.

“[Beth’s] got him now, she’s checkmated him and that’s never happened to him,” Bentley said of the dynamic between his character and Beth (played by Kelly Reilly). In the season 4 finale, Beth threatened Jamie about killing his biological father Garrett (Will Patton) then proceeded to take a picture of him doing it for evidence. “He’s never been without a plan and so he’s really stuck serving them and stewing in the most anger he’s ever felt in his life,” Bentley continued. “And there’s danger there that I don’t think has been there before from Jamie.”

Bentley added, “Jamie’s a complicated guy and that’s part of what I love playing about him and that’s part of what people find so intriguing about him.” As for whether the murder was to show his loyalty to the Duttons or for his own personal gain, Bentley argues it’s “both.” He explained, “I think he both showed his loyalty again, but also if he didn’t do that he was going to be the one to pay the price. So yeah, he was selfishly looking out for his own neck.”

Jamie and Beth, of course, have a long complicated past. When she was a teenager, Beth got pregnant and asked Jamie for help to get an abortion. Without telling her, however, Jamie took her to a native American abortion clinic that requires sterilization as part of the process. She only found this out much later, forever damaging their relationship.

“I think television can be a good voice to talk about social issues or difficult topics like abortion,” Bentley said of Beth’s heart-breaking storyline. “It can be great way to show, like we do with everything, one experience that might inform others. Most of the time we’re just portraying and that feeling – whatever you’re feeling when you’re watching it – that’s just something going on inside of the viewer and that’s important as well. “

Behind the scenes, however, Bentley and Reilly are great friends. “Kelly’s a sweetheart,” he said while picking between Kelly or Beth to go into battle with. “I’d put Beth right in front of me [in a battle], have a laugh with Kelly,” he decided.

As for his relationship with Kevin Costner, who plays the patriarch John Dutton, Bentley has only good things to say. “He’s very good with the camera,” Bentley said of the many things the iconic actor has taught him. “He’s very good with path of a scene, how to get through the path of a scene and in a cinematic way. I don’t always lean toward the cinematic, so I’ve learned a lot from him how to do that just by observing him really, mostly. I mean, he’s a movie star.” He is indeed!

Jamie and John, however, have had many ups and downs in their relationship. “I have a lot more fun on opposite sides and I think he does too,” Bentley said of their acting dynamic. “It’s just always fun to play conflicts and it’s sometimes easier.”

In fact, Bentley teased that his favorite scene in the new season is with both Beth and John. “I really enjoyed a scene where John and Kelly and the former governor, now senator, and a few others around the room and John’s making a big decision and Jamie’s trying [to] stand up,” Bentley recalled. “I just really enjoyed the dynamics in that room and it was different for Jamie.”

Though Bentley couldn’t say much about the new season, season 5’s release date is luckily just around the corner. We can’t wait to see Jamie, Beth and John back in action again! Yellowstone season 5 premieres November 13 on Paramount Network and can also be watched on Peacock premium.

Before you go, check out the all-time best ‘Outlander’ episodes you need to watch.