Yellowstone’s future remains hanging in the balance, with the back half of Season 5 still needing to be filmed and edited (assuming Taylor Sheridan finished writing it ahead of the WGA writers strike), but that doesn’t mean audiences aren’t able to catch the show’s stars in other projects. For instance, those with Netflix subscriptions have been turning out in streaming droves to catch Luke Grimes opposite Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt vet Ellie Kemper in the new romantic comedy Happiness for Beginners. And the actor revealed it’s the kind of project he’s always wanted to be a part of.
Prior to taking on the role of Kayce Dutton in the Paramount Network western, Luke Grimes was known for roles in such projects as True Blood and Brothers & Sisters on the small screen, and the Fifty Shades trilogy and American Sniper on the big screen. But something you won’t find in that filmography before Happiness for Beginners is him as a lead romantic foil, and as he told People, that was something he’d long aimed to tackle in his career, saying:
I always wanted to do a romantic comedy. There's enough bad stuff in the world. And I read the script and I was like, ‘I think I could do this.’
In Happiness for Beginners, Grimes portrays a doctor named Jake who strikes up an unexpected romance with Kemper’s recently divorced Helen, who is the older sister of one of Jake’s friends. It’s quite a step away from some of his most recognizable roles, and he acknowledged that it’s a change up from the roles he’s used to, which “skew a little more dramatic” and intense.
The setting of the film is a survivalist trek down the Appalachian trail, a slightly more stressful version of a casual retreat, which means a lot of moments shot out under the sky. So while the actor may not be so seasoned in dishing out performances as funny and hunky potential boyfriends, Grimes does have quite a bit of experience filming in exterior locations, on top of just being a fan in general. In his words:
I'm an outdoorsy kind of guy. So it just felt like the right fit.
While the exact numbers haven’t been released yet, Happiness for Beginnings has jumped up in Netflix’s daily Top 10 rankings since it was first released on July 27. The film is currently in the #2 slot at the time of this writing, where it sits behind the 2021 action flick Hidden Strike, starring John Cena and Jackie Chan.
So I think it’s safe to say that audiences are totally into Luke Grimes as a romantic comedy lead, and would love to see him sign on for more, especially if his time as Kayce Dutton is coming to an end sooner rather than later. He confirmed that he still hasn’t seen any scripts for the remaining Season 5 episodes, and that he knows not to harbor any personal hopes for his character, since Taylor Sheridan tends to buck such optimistic expectations.
For those who haven’t yet watched, be sure to stream Happiness for Beginners on Netflix. And after that, be sure to check out Grimes’ co-star Hassie Harrison in Season 4 of truTV’s comedy Tacoma FD, which airs Thursday nights at 10:00 p.m. ET, with the first three seasons available to stream with a Max subscription.
