Yellowstone Star Got a Life-Changing Advice From Kevin Costner
Brecken Merrill will never forget the day Kevin Costner paid him a visit on set. The young actor, who portrays Tate Dutton in Yellowstone, recently opened up to Entertainment Tonight regarding his experience on the hit TV show.
Merrill, who has had his fair share of memorable moments on screen through five seasons of Yellowstone , fondly recalls one moment in particular. The actor (who was only 9 years old at the time) was taking a break between camera shots and was shivering. The particular scene from the 4th episode of the 1st season ("The Long Black Train") called for a young Tate to fall into a freezing river after attempting to retrieve firewood with his grandfather.
Between takes, Merrill was miserably cold and struggling to stay warm despite a large supply of hand warmers. Kevin Costner, who was also in the scene, noticed that and subsequently confronted the young actor with what would become life-changing advice.
"Is this what you really wanna do?" The question was simple and unassuming yet would forever alter Merrill's approach to acting. The actor explains that he thought about the question for a month and eventually discovered that acting was truly what Merrill wanted to do for a living.
"[Costner] kind of guided me to that area of, yeah, [acting] is what I wanna do," Merrill explained in an interview to ET. "This is my career. This is my passion… I wanna be here."
Merrill admits that while shooting the scene was extremely cold it only reinforced the point that he was destined to become an actor. Prior to landing the role in Yellowstone, Merrill had only appeared in a handful of commercials and was, admittedly, unsure if he deemed acting more of a hobby or profession.
Nonetheless, the opportunity to work on Yellowstone and along such a stellar cast was monumental. It granted Merrill the mindset that he could transition from a young, innocent child to a central figure in the story. Indeed, Merrill has appeared in numerous pivotal scenes of the hit TV series, including heartfelt bonding moments with his grandfather.
However, not everything on the ranch has been gravy. In fact, audiences have watched Tate grow up before their eyes, especially how his innocence has been robbed from him. In season two of Yellowstone, Tate is kidnapped. Then, in season four, Tate kills a man with a shotgun while defending his mother. Recently, he appeared in a traumatic scene with his mother (Kelsey Asbille) following a car accident with a buffalo.
As such, Merrill admits that when he first appeared on the set, most of the other cast members treated him like a kid. Nevertheless, after committing to the craft and taking acting more seriously, he's also got more recognition, particularly from Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan.
Nevertheless, despite millions of viewers, Merrill has managed to stay under the spotlight which is a role he prefers.
"When a season airs I usually am grown by the time I've shot it, so I look way older" he explained. "I don't get recognized a lot but it's cool. I don't want to get recognized, personally."