No one deserved the brand more than Colby.
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.
