The Interstellar Character You Likely Forgot Yellowstone's Wes Bentley Played
"Yellowstone" is one of the most popular dramas currently airing — its Season 4 finale drew over 9 million viewers, according to Deadline. Though the modern Western was slow in achieving acclaim — the first season has a mixed 53% rating on Rotten Tomatoes — Season 4 currently holds a 86% on the review aggregator. The success of the series has led to co-creator Taylor Sheridan spearheading a variety of spin-offs, including "1883," the first of several planned prequels.
Set in modern-day Montana, "Yellowstone" follows the Dutton family who owns the largest ranch in the state. In the series, John Dutton (Kevin Costner) navigates the various politics of the region, trying to secure his family's legacy by keeping the ranch away from nefarious outsiders. Critics have favorably compared the family-drama Western to "Succession," (via Vox) another series that follows a dysfunctional family trying to take control of their enduring family business as times evolve.
One of the Dutton family's most colorful members is Jamie (Wes Bentley). Using the clout of his family, he aspires to be a politician, putting his skills as an attorney to use. Like most of the Dutton family, there's more than meets the eye when it comes to Bentley's character. Though "Yellowstone" is far from Bentley's only major role, audiences might have forgotten that the star appeared in Christopher Nolan's "Interstellar," one of the most beloved sci-fi films of the last decade.
Wes Bentley was an Endurance crew member in Interstellar
After calling curtains on the "The Dark Knight" trilogy, Christopher Nolan released "Interstellar," a sci-fi epic that focused on humanity's efforts to find a new hospitable planet after Earth had been depleted of all its resources. The film went on to gross over $670 million (via Box Office Mojo) when it hit cinemas in 2014 and was favorably received by critics.
In the film, NASA recruits a variety of scientists and pilots to spearhead the ship Endurance on a mission to find a new planet. Joining Cooper (Matthew McConaughey), Brand (Anne Hathaway), and Romilly (David Gyase) is Wes Bentley's Doyle, a well-established scientist at NASA. Doyle can be seen joining the crew for lift-off as they drift off into space, heading towards the first planet to scout.
When the crew arrives at the first potential planet, it turns out that it's an ocean world, rendering it inhospitable. Before they can escape, a giant wave kills Doyle, effectively eliminating a quarter of the Endurance's crew.
While Bentley's role in "Interstellar" is brief, it's one of the many high-profile appearances the star had before he landed the supporting role of Jamie Dutton in "Yellowstone." Prior to starring in Nolan's sci-fi epic, Bentley played Gamemaker Seneca Crane in "The Hunger Games" and appeared in two seasons of "American Horror Story" (via IMDb).