Another death for Dutton.
Mo Brings Plenty couldn’t believe that Kelsey Asbille’s Monica Dutton was killed before the premiere of “Marshals.”
The “Yellowstone” alum opened up about the surprising decision and her positive reaction during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published on Sunday.
“Boy. At first, I was like, ‘Why?!’ Because that was our connection to the Duttons,” began Plenty, 56. “There was always a connection between the Dutton family and Broken Rock, but Monica was very connected.”
He added, “So losing that, at first, my reaction was like, ‘No.'”
However, the Oglala Lakota actor admitted that “Marshals” creator Spencer Hudnut had to “tell a story” and that Monica’s off-screen death created a “void” for her character, Mo, to fill.
“And the blessing of what happened is that Kayce [Dutton] it has to close that gap now,” explained Plenty. “So that connection is still there.”
He continued, “It’s not just that Rainwater took him in and treated him as a brother, but I think the heroes that Mo and Kayce are, that brotherhood has always been there, but it’s even stronger.”
“Marshals,” the sequel to Taylor Sheridan’s neo-Western drama “Yellowstone,” premiered on CBS and Paramount+ on March 1.
But the first series surprised fans with the revelation that Kayce Dutton’s wife, Monica, died of cancer off-screen after the events of the premiere.
Luke Grimes, who played Kayce on “Yellowstone” and reprized the role on “Marshals,” previously said he was upset that Asbille, 34, did not return to Broken Rock Reservation or the spinoff.
“I was sad for myself too [Asbille],” Grimes, 42, told TVLine earlier this month, adding that she had to “must be brave” to call her ex.
“We had a good conversation,” he continued. “In true Kelsey fashion, she handled it like a professional and totally understood.”
Hudnut, meanwhile, told THR that he was not involved in the discussions about Asbille not returning. He said he wasn’t available to be in “Marshals,” but called his character’s ending “good.”
As for Plenty, she did the “happy dance” when she was invited to reprise her “Yellowstone” character in the latest spin-off after the original series ends in December 2024.
Besides Plenty and Grimes, Gil Birmingham (Thomas Rainwater) and Brecken Merrill (Tate Dutton) are also back for “Marshals.”
“I got a call from my team, and I said, ‘Absolutely. If Luke and Gil are involved, I’m in,'” Plenty told THR. “It was an easy yes to continue with these characters. These characters are strong, and I wanted to continue with them.”
“I was devastated when we finished ‘Yellowstone,'” he added. “These were amazing men. All of a sudden, here we are. We’re back. It was just good news for me. I was doing cartwheels in my mind and a happy dance that I would never want the world to see.”
