Now that Grimes and the other actors are almost five seasons deep, there’s a newfound level of freedom when “Cowboy Camp” rears its head each year. As he told THR, the young actor has also developed a passion for riding:
“We’re allowed to ride whenever we want on our days off. They’ve been really cool about letting the actors continue to sharpen their skills on horseback as much as they want. So it’s up to you how much work you want to put in. So it’s not only helpful for production, but it’s also become very fun at this point. We’re four years into trying to learn this stuff and you get the bug after a little while.”
That liberating feeling of riding in big country is felt the most during the energizing morning rides that Kaycee makes with his resolute father, John Dutton (Kevin Costner). Seeing Costner and Grimes side by side in a wide shot is undeniably powerful. “It really does add something onscreen when when you can see an actor actually ride their horse,” adds Grimes. It certainly seems like the performers have come a long way since their very first “Cowboy Camp,” a bonding exercise where they embarked on a lengthy mule packing trip in Montana’s backcountry. “I don’t think we could do that every time just because it proved to be such a challenge to even organize that and make sure we all made it back safe,” Grimes recalls, “being the city slickers that we all were at the time.”
