Yellowstone’s Luke Grimes doesn’t believe that viewers should equate cowboy hats with specific political views.

Luke Grimes, who stars as Kayce Dutton in Yellowstone, is pushing back against perceptions of the show’s political agenda. Since its debut in 2018, Yellowstone has been labeled as having conservative leanings, a notion series creator Taylor Sheridan has previously rejected, stating the show isn’t inherently conservative or a “red-state Game of Thrones” (as it was coined). Now, Grimes echoes this sentiment, arguing that viewers shouldn’t equate the show’s Western setting with a specific political ideology.

During a recent interview with The Independent, Grimes shared:

“I think a lot of people see a cowboy hat and a horse and they think, ‘Oh, that’s not for me, those people believe differently.’ And it’s almost like they take these flawed characters in the show and chalk it up to some sort of weird belief that they’ve put on them. Meanwhile, you can have a terrible person like [ Succession ’s] Logan Roy, who lives in an apartment in Manhattan, and that’s fine. That guy’s a total piece of s***! But that’s OK. It’s so funny to me because… I just don’t understand why that has to immediately equal some political belief. And I don’t think it does.”

Yellowstone has amassed a devoted fan base since its 2018 premiere. But that’s not to say that the show’s more conservative audiences have always been happy with the series’ decisions. Early last year, some viewers took to social media to slam the series for going “woke” after Dutton’s assistant, Clara Brewer (Lilli Kay) was briefly seen kissing a woman at the county fair. Sheridan has previously disputed the series’ conservative labels, emphasizing that Yellowstone tackles themes including the struggles of Native Americans, the effects of gentrification, and the dangers of corporate greed.

Luke Grimes on Kevin Costner’s Yellowstone Exit: “You Gotta Do What You Love”

In the same interview, Grimes addressed Kevin Costner’s Yellowstone departure. While reports have mentioned scheduling conflicts and creative and financial disputes as the reason for Costner’s exit, Grimes offered a more empathetic perspective.

“Whatever happened there is unfortunate if it’s changed anything about how the show was going to unfold. I know, [Costner] got busy with his movies that were like passion projects. At a certain point, you gotta do what you gotta do, man; you gotta do what you love.”

Costner’s passion project is his directorial effort Horizon: An American Saga, a four-part post-Civil War epic, which will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival next month. Along with directing, Costner co-wrote alongside Jon Baird.