Season 5 & What to Expect  

Cox: Denim Richards, I’m excited to speak to you about season five of Yellowstone and your character Colby. But first, let’s get into you all, breaking record after record with this show.   

Richards: It’s exciting to be back. A few weeks ago, the ratings came out, and the show broke several records. It’s the number-one show in the US. We had 12 million live viewers on the day of the new season premiere and 60 million viewers who watched it the next few days.  

Cox: Those views and ratings differ for a show in its fifth season?   

Richards: No, you see the viewers tap off as a series goes into additional seasons. We actually had even a million more than we had in season four. This is just amazing to be on this ride with Yellowstone and to have my character Colby be on for all five seasons.  

Cox: Since the ratings and fan base are going up, what can we expect with season five and Colby?  

Richards: This year, we get into even more trouble with John Dutton becoming the governor of Montana. With him in office, it makes us even more liberal on what we do on the ranch. So Colby gets into more trouble, and you get to see him doing fun things like wrestling cattle. It will be a colorful ride that everyone has to tune in to see.   

Cox: How has it been being on a series for these many seasons? Do you ever sit back and think about it?  

Richards: Yes, I definitely think about it because, you know, the goal of any actor is to be on something. You see, once you get on something, the next goal is to stay on that something (laughs). Then you hope they don’t cancel off your character for whatever reason. It’s been five incredible years since 2017, which seems like a lifetime ago.   

Cox: You must get close to the cast members.  

Richards: You get so close with the cast members that even our families know each other. It really feels like when I played sports when I was younger. You are in this foxhole with these people, and they become your community. Life outside of shooting the show feels strange because you get so used to everyone being together all the time. Mainly since we shoot in Montana, where we don’t have access to all the amenities like if we were shooting in a bigger city.   

Cox: People now recognize you from the show. How is it with that level of stardom now?  

Richards: It’s surreal because I was recently walking in time square, and people recognized me and approached me. But that also speaks to the caliber of the show and how many people it touches.   

Landing The Role  

Cox: Take me back to when you landed the role.  

Richards: I did a film, Montford: The Chickasaw Rancher, before Yellowstone, which is available on Netflix. I was doing this scene with Tommy Flanagan, who is on Sons of Anarchy. Once we were done, he told me about Yellowstone and that his best friend, John Linson, was creating the show. He told me I should tell my team to get me an audition. It was only that easy (laughs) to get an audition. But I listened to him and told my team about the project. My team was able to get into the office of John Papsidera and sent him videos and photos of me from Montford: The Chickasaw Rancher. I wanted to keep this moment going because the movie was a western period piece, so I knew I could take what I did there to Yellowstone since it was about a ranch and everything. They called me in a couple days after to audition and talk about what they wanted from Colby.  

Cox: That sounds like a Hollywood dream! So how long did it take you to learn you go the part? 

Richards: It took them six weeks to tell me I got it. Those were the most stressful six weeks of my life (laughs). During that waiting period my time we call to check in on me. I had to tell them to stop that (laughs) and only contact me once they heard something. When I got the call, I was in the parking lot in Santa Monica. My manager called me and started screaming.   

A little Back Story on His Love for Acting  

Cox: You mentioned sports. So, was acting something you always wanted to do?  

Richards: I’ve wanted to do it since I was five. I was a kid with a lot of energy; my teachers were like we have to channel that energy somewhere. Luckily, I went to a school that puts a lot of energy into the performing arts. They all thought I loved being seen and talked a lot. (Laughs) Nothing much has changed for me. They asked me to do a singing performance in front of around three hundred people, and I just loved the feeling I got.   

Cox: So, where did sports come into your life?  

Richards: Well, I had a very loving and supportive family, but none of them were in the performing arts. So, I gravitated towards sports growing up, but my love and passion for the performing arts were always there. Then, when I was fourteen, I got back into the heavy of it all with acting. I was doing everything from theater to musical theater. From there, it was a slow progression to what you see now with my career (laughs).   

Cox: What is it about acting that you love so much?   

Richards: I knew I had always wanted to do this since I was five. The thing that wakes me up each day to go for it is that I know there is this thing inside of me that loves it. Acting also helps me focus because I did then and do now still have a lot of energy. Learning how to handle, shape, and focus took me a while. What also helps me is that I had so many people in my life that didn’t think I would do it. They didn’t believe in me. When I was in my twenties, most of my friends were graduating from college, pursuing graduate degrees, and interviewing for positions. Denim going for an audition had a different ring of excellence for them.   

Cox: With all of that happening with people around you, how did you stay grounded and focused?  

Richards: After years, it started dissipating because I looked at and studied the greats. I learned what famous actors like Denzel Washington and Sidney Poitier went through to get to their level of success. After that, I focused on my craft, and as an athlete, I channeled that energy around me from others.   

Cox: What advice would you give to an aspiring actor who is having a tough time with themselves in this industry or who those around them believe in them?  

Richards: You have to believe in yourself from the beginning. You have to believe in this. You might need the road map or the whole picture. But you need to know that this is the journey you need to go on.   

Photo Credit: Diana Ragland.