Kayce Dutton will be back on the small screen and whooping up on Montana’s criminal elite when Marshals Season 2 lands on the 2026 TV schedule in October and follows up on Season 1’s potentially deadly finale (at least for some characters). As fans are well aware, the Yellowstone spinoff is headed up by the actor who held the role across the flagship drama’s five seasons, Luke Grimes. But in some distant alternate universe out there, one of Grimes’ co-stars landed the role.
While it may be hard to picture anyone but the Ohio native as Kayce Dutton, with his signature ‘stache and beard combo along with his often lengthy hair, just try to imagine the Yellowstone role being played by Jefferson White, who brought life to the role of Jimmy Hurdstrum in each of Yellowstone’s seasons (though less so in Seasons 4 and 5). White’s largely hairless look is nearly the complete opposite of what we’re used to from Kayce, and his Jimmy performance is also at odds with Kayce’s machismo.
So how did this hypothetical casting switcheroo nearly happen? White, who’ll soon be seen in the Hunger Games prequel Sunrise on the Reaping, appeared on the podcast An Actor Despairs with host Ryan M. Perez, and talked about how his journey to landing the role of Jimmy Hurdstrom actually began with a Kayce audition. In his words (via Instagram):
I got an audition to play Kayce, the tough Navy SEAL, toughest cowboy in the world. My agents, god bless them, they think more highly of me than I think of myself.
I feel like I'd get an audition for the role of an actual seal before anyone would ever see me as a Navy SEAL, so I can see where the actor is coming from here. Jefferson White realized the pilot was solid, but understood that he may not have been the most aligned with Kayce's character description, and seemingly didn't hesitate to point it out. As he put it:
To my credit, the only thing I’ve ever maybe done right in my acting career was I read that pilot, and I said, ‘I am not the tough Navy SEAL who tames a wild stallion in the pilot. Like the toughest, most soulful, handsome actor in the world.’...That’s Luke Grimes. That’s 100% Luke Grimes. That’s great casting.
Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth (even if his character did eventually do other things with horses), White put a good-faith effort in with a Kayce audition tape, but didn't limit it to just that one. He explained his approach, saying:
I read the pilot, and I said, ‘Hey, I don’t – I’m gonna tape for Kayce, that’s awesome. I’m also gonna send you a tape for this other part, Jimmy.’
Though it may have been a stab in the dark for a character that wasn't actively being cast yet, Jefferson White's Jimmy audition tape sealed the deal for him to bring that character to life, as opposed to the stallion-taming war vet. You gotta love the way the actor describes his beloved ranchhand-turned-cowboy, too.
I’m this fucked up meth head that they drag on to the ranch who like is a mess and sort of is the comedic relief.
That's our Jimmy!
For years now, fans have been waiting to see Jimmy's return in another Yellowstone series. It was supposed to happen in the 6666 spinoff, but then Taylor Sheridan claimed recently that spinoff was never going to happen in the first place, which goes against what Paramount+ publicly announced in years past. We're still hoping for something else, though. #JimmyJustice and whatnot.
Catch him in the 2026 film release Sunrise on the Reaping when it hits theaters on November 20, 2026.
