Yellowstone: Jefferson White Explains Why Working With Kevin Costner Is A Lot Like Jimmy Working With John Dutton

A man shaking another man's hand

With the insane rise in Yellowstone’s popularity, former drug cook turned ranch-hand, Jimmy Hurdstrom, has quickly become one of the most popular characters on the show.

Played by Jefferson White, we were all worried that the man would be leaving Yellowstone Ranch for good after getting engaged to Emily, who he met at the Four Sixes Ranch in Texas, but we were given the relieving news that he will be featured in Season Five of the show, as will Emily.

We also have an idea that he’ll play a big part in the Four Sixes Ranch spinoff series, although nothing has been set in stone yet.

White recently sat down for an interview with ScreenRant, to talk about all aspects of working on the show, and how cool it’s been to see it become one of the most popular shows on the planet.

However, it was really intriguing to see his take on what it’s like working with famed actor Kevin Costner, who plays John Dutton on the show.

He was asked if working with Costner in one-on-one scenes can be nerve-racking and stressful, and he responded:

“Y’know, it does. Who Kevin is, he’s both an incredibly present actor who’s with you in that exact moment in that exact room, he’s right in front of you. He’s incredibly present, which is like all you can hope for in a scene partner. But, he’s also a legend, he’s also a sort of modern myth. And, the good thing is that that is also true of John Dutton.

John Dutton is with you in the room, he’s gonna saddle the horse, he’s gonna sweep the stables, but he’s also a myth, he’s also a legend in the world of the show. So, my relationship to Kevin is pretty similar to Jimmy’s relationship to John Dutton. He reveres this person, he’s known about this person his whole life, even before he met him.

So, my task as an actor there is to sort of take those real-world circumstances and allow them, not try to fight them off or keep ‘em out, but allow them to color the scene, ‘cause I’m intimidated by Kevin the same way that Jimmy is intimidated by John. So, all of that just flavors those scenes and makes them hopefully feel that much more authentic and sort of lived in, y’know?”

Of course, with the badass persona Costner portrays in John Dutton, you can only imagine how intimidating it may be, considering the achievements Costner has garnered over his extensive acting career.

White also joked about how when it’s a one-on-one scene with Jimmy and John, it typically doesn’t go well for him.

He continued:

“I know, it usually doesn’t go well for Jimmy. Anytime you’re talking to the boss you worry something’s wrong. Anytime Taylor calls me over, I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s it, I did it, I finally blew it.’

But, I’m so lucky ‘cause I get that not just with Kevin, but I also get that in these scenes with Cole Hauser, who’s an incredible actor, I get that in these scenes with Forrie J. Smith.

You can check out the full interview here:

Jefferson White On His Fame As Jimmy From ‘Yellowstone

The man, the myth, the legend… the great Jefferson White, better known as Jimmy on Yellowstone, recently made an appearance on the latest edition of the Whiskey Riff Raff podcast.

The guy plays a huge role in the show as arguably the most popular ranch hand, who is now crafting his own story down at the iconic 6666’s Ranch down in Texas.  Plus, everybody loves a good comeback story and Jimmy went from being a dumbass meth cook to the the loveable idiot of the Yellowstone Ranch.

While he was on the pod, he mentioned that he can’t even put into words what Yellowstone has meant for him and his career, and how it opened up a new world of culture that he was unfamiliar with beforehand.

He even talked about how everywhere he goes, he constantly gets called Jimmy, and even better, he’ll often hear Rip’s iconic “shut the fuck up Jimmy” line from people as they pass by.

“I get a lot of ‘SHUT THE FUCK UP JIMMY’ from across the street. I’ll be walking down the street in Texas and just hear ‘SHUT THE FUCK UP JIMMY,’ so I give ’em the thumbs up and keep going.”

He also talked about how much the show has opened up his eyes to the cattle ranching and cowboy world, and how heading the Yellowstone podcast has helped him learn.

Jefferson the actor, and Jimmy the character, on similar journeys:

“Ya know when I first started doing this show four years ago, I didn’t really know anything about the western world. I didn’t know anything about cattle ranching, about cowboy’ing, riding rodeo, about any of this stuff, so the last four years has been a real crash course for me.

And ya know alongside Jimmy, that figures out where he fits in this world, I’ve been diving in myself and spending this time trying to learn basically.

This podcast has been an opportunity to deepen that learning, and continue to screw it up. To dive into this culture and this community, especially because this is a lifetime pursuit.”

White also talks about the transformation of Cole Hauser, going from this clean shaven actor to the bearded cowboy Rip:

“It’s both a transformation and also, in acting there’s sort of a constant question. Are you transforming into this character, or are you revealing some part of yourself that is this character, ya know?

And the amazing thing is I’ve only known Cole through the process of working on ‘Yellowstone’ so for me, as long as I’ve known Cole he’s been Rip.”

He also discusses how awesome it is to actually work on a real ranch in Montana for the show, instead of acting on some set pretending like you’re in Montana.

Can you imagine? Getting to work on some of the most gorgeous land in the United States. That’s truly something special within itself.

The podcast is available everywhere. Download the podcast on Apple Podcasts by searching “Whiskey Riff Raff” or click here.

We’re also available on Spotify and wherever else you can listen to podcasts.

Cheers, y’all.

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