Written for Gil Birmingham
Another actor who didn’t have to waste any time auditioning for Yellowstone? Gil Birmingham! Taylor Sheridan wrote the role of Chief Thomas Rainwater with him in mind after he starred in his previous films Hell or High Water and Wind River.
“He’s a very fierce actor. He’s really talented… When I wrote Yellowstone, well, I called him before I wrote it. Like, ‘Gil, I’ve got a role that’s right for you, buddy. I hope you come do this thing with me.’ And he said yes. And I was grateful,” Sheridan told 6666 Ranch.
Dutton Ranch is Real
Instead of filming an entire show on a sound stage, the masterminds behind Yellowstone decided to keep things 100% authentic and real. Filming took place at the Chief Joseph Ranch, a historic ranch in Darby, Montana.
This ranch was built between 1914 and 1917, by William S. Ford and Howard Clark Hollister, who purchased 2,500 acres on the Bitterroot River for their vacation home. It was most likely named after Chief Joseph, the head of the Nez Perce Indians, who valiantly fought the federal government to stop his tribe’s forced removal from their land.