Gil Birmingham‘s Thomas Rainwater has always been a calm presence on Yellowstone. As Chairman of the Broken Rock Reservation, Rainwater is strongly motivated to reclaim the Dutton land for his people. His relationship with John Dutton (Kevin Costner) usually has been combative, but the two ended Season 5, Part 1 as allies. With the threat of Angela Blue Thunder (Q’orianka Kilcher) and Martin Kills Many (Christian Wassana) coming for his position, Rainwater received crucial support from Dutton as he pledged to prevent the proposed federal government pipeline from running under the Reservation.
As Taylor Sheridan‘s Western saga returns to finish its fifth and final season, Birmingham would not say much about how Costnerâs absence will affect his character. “The issues and challenges on the Native reservation will still persist whether John is there or not,” said Birmingham diplomatically. After everything Rainwater has been through trying to govern his people, Birmingham says Rainwater’s “mission in life” is to see his community reclaim the land that belonged to their ancestors. Birmingham explained: “It started when he found out he was Native when he was 18. Before that, Rainwater had been told that he was Mexican. After that, he had a purpose.”
When asked what he hopes the legacy of Yellowstone will be, Birmingham is clear: “I am proud that the show took the opportunity to present Indigenous characters in the present day as having agency, intelligence, and resourcefulness.” In addition to the show being “thoroughly entertaining,” he hopes audiences come away with a little more understanding of the modern American West, “specifically the urban cowboy rancher culture and the Native culture.” Most of all, Birmingham is happy that Sheridan’s “Indigenous characters were equals to any of the others leads in the show.”
Birmingham spoke to DECIDER via Zoom to chat about the series, his close friendship with Sheridan, and a fan theory thatâs been gaining popularity as Yellowstone nears its conclusion.
DECIDER: After 5 wonderful seasons, Yellowstoneâas we know itâis coming to an end. What do you hope the legacy of the show will be?
GIL BIRMINGHAM: That it was thoroughly entertaining. Hopefully, that it taught people a little bit about different cultures, specifically the urban cowboy rancher culture and the native culture. I am somewhat biased in terms of the characters that I represent, of course, but I’m just very proud that the show took the opportunity to present Indigenous characters in the present day as having agency, intelligence, and resourcefulness. The Indigenous characters were equals to any of the others leads in the show.
Starting with Yellowstone, Taylor Sheridan has emerged as one of the greatest television creators of 21st century television. What will you take away from working with him?
Amazement. Despite his prolific nature, heâs just a down home guy. I’ve become friends with him and his family. Weâve been close since 2016 when I did Hell or High Water. I’m amazed at the imagination and the intelligence that he writes with. And all these spin offs. If you believe in yourself, thereâs no limit to what you can do.
Over the course of the series, Thomas Rainwater’s and John Dutton’s relationship ebbed and flowed, but at the end of Season 5, Part 1, John proved to be Thomas’ ally in regard to the pipeline. How will his absence affect Thomas?
The issues and challenges on the Native reservation will still persist whether John is there or not. However, the dynamic of their relationship obviously is going to shift. We don’t want to spoil anything for the viewers. There are a lot of twists and turns in this intense season.
Rainwater has always been transparent about his desire to reclaim the Yellowstone ranch and return it to Broken Rock. Is that still his goal?
That’s his mission in life. It started when he found out he was Native when he was 18. Before that, he had been told he was Mexican. After that, he had a purpose. Thatâs what I admire. He found a way to educate himself and to work within the laws and rules of the dominant culture to his own ends. It’s really interesting to see how he works and collaborates with other interests as long as they serve him. All of the characters justify and rationalize their behavior in the same way. The Dutton family members are trying to maintain their legacy. Rainwater is motivated by his ancestral claims to the ranch, which goes back many generations.
There has been a popular fan theory that Monica’s and Kayce’s son, Tate, could be the key to returning the Dutton land back to Broken Rock. What do you say to that?
I say that’s part of a lot of speculation [laughs]. The audience is so imaginative. It reminds me of the Twilight Saga that I was involved with. I am fascinated by the guessing games. The fans are so passionate.
The post ‘Yellowstone’ Star Gil Birmingham Says Popular Tate Dutton Fan Theory Is A “Lot Of Speculation”: “The Audience Is So Imaginative” appeared first on Decider.
