Cast Shares Inside Scoop Of Yellowstone’s First Table Read

Denim Richards, who played Colby on Yellowstone, recently offered an inside look into the show’s early days. Richards played Colby across five seasons of the show and was killed by a rogue horse in Season 5, Episode 12, titled “Counting Coup.”

Watch the recap of the episode below. 

RELATED: Beth & Jamie’s Feud Comes To A Brutal End In “Yellowstone” Finale

Richards was in a reflective mood after his character’s death. He looked back on his early days on Yellowstone, and remembered the cast’s first table read.

He describes a room filled with anticipation and nervous energy. As you can imagine, the beginning of a show like Yellowstone would be filled with anticipation and questions.

Richards spoke about Kevin Costner’s presence in the midst of that first table read.

A table read is when the cast of a television show or movie all gather for the first time to read the scripts. Each character reads their lines, and it’s the first time that the actors get to see who they will be acting with in person.

Kevin Costner Puts Cast At Ease

Apparently, Costner put everyone at ease. Richards described the moment Costner walked into the room.

Richards told the New York Post, “Everyone is getting together, and [Kevin Costner] walks in. He’s this massive presence but so humble.”

He then described a moment that changed the dynamic in the room and said:

“Everyone is getting ready to get up from the table read and go outside. [Costner] said, ‘I don’t know about you guys, but I’m scared as hell. So why don’t we come together the best we can, and make this happen, and support each other.’”

Richards was unsure whether Costner spoke to reassure the young actors or if he genuinely felt that way, but he was glad he expressed it.

“You could feel the stress go out of the room. It was a beautiful thing.” He continued, “This is an Oscar-winning legend… whether or not he was really scared, who knows. But it gave everyone this extra level of confidence that there’s no hierarchy.” 

Although Costner left the show in the fifth season due to scheduling conflicts, he left a lasting impression as his character, John Dutton.

Watch some of Yellowstone’s highlights below.