Actor Jefferson White recently sat down with the Bunkhouse Boys to talk all things Jimmy Hurdstrom, Yellowstone's fan-favorite ranch hand who made his triumphant return to the show during the Jan. 1 midseason finale, "A Knife and No Coin." A newlywed and getting on just fine at the Four Sixes Ranch, Jimmy's life in Texas is a bright spot for a long-suffering character.
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"He had four seasons of bad stuff," White joked, recalling the two times Jimmy broke his back. "And from here on in, it's just smooth sailing."
Jimmy's newfound domestic bliss, courtesy of a totally A-1 veterinarian wife, has been a long time coming for the character, who began as a burnout and turned his life around after taking the brand way back in the pilot episode of Yellowstone. Contrary to the hands at the Dutton ranch, the cowboys at the Four Sixes in Texas have private lives, with wives and children. It's a paradigm shift for our Jimmy.
"Jimmy's lifestyle down there is very different than his lifestyle up in Montana. You know, he's a family man now," White explained. "For Jimmy, that's the first time in his life he's ever had the opportunity to settle into a rhythm and a domestic lifestyle, and I think he loves it."
That's not to say that life at the Four Sixes is easy. A real-life cattle ranch, the 6666 Ranch is one of the largest in the world, and it's brimming with true-blue cowboys — some of whom are actually cast in the series. So when the script calls for a violent bucking scene, oftentimes it's a real Four Sixes cowboy — not a stuntman — taking the reins (and being thrown from them).
"When I'm working at the Four Sixes, sometimes there's two actors. Lot of times if we're doing, you know, cowboy work, there's one actor and 30 cowboys. It's like the best learning opportunity I could possibly imagine."
Hmm. A learning opportunity for White to transform into a real-life cowboy, or to gear up for the still-in-production 6666 Ranch spinoff series? With half of the Yellowstone Ranch herd headed down to the Texas panhandle, it seems more and more likely that good old Jimmy Hurdstrom is ready to lead his very own show.
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