'Yellowstone' star Luke Grimes on partnering with Stetson, adapting to country culture

Luke Grimes is a spokesmodel for a culture he's less than a decade into learning how to love.

Thankfully, he's also a 40-year-old actor who, before most notably portraying Kayce Dutton on Paramount's "Yellowstone" in 2018, was a quick study for learning his way around a horse. As a church-taught drummer since childhood, he also already knew how to prove himself capable in a country music recording session.

However, two decades of acting couldn't prepare him for his latest role.

Country music's pop cultural moment has led it to a place where the genre is responsible for a trillion streams yearly. "Yellowstone" is also viewed in 60% more homes than a half-decade ago. And now, here's Grimes, entering year three as the 160-year-old Stetson brand's Legend cologne ambassador.

What were initially "hobbies and passions" that "didn't pay the bills" in Grimes' life have become tent posts of him at the forefront of a lucrative, world-redefining future.

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Working with Stetson, why are iconic American brands having a revival

"The American ideal is a generational one that has remained synonymous with country-western culture," says Grimes in a Wednesday morning conversation with The Tennessean.

"On the Western side of American culture, the cowboy has always represented men and women who aren't afraid of hard work, plus value survival and (reaping the benefits of) living off the land, as nature intended."

Stetson representatives agree with Grimes' assessment.

To The Tennessean, they note that a blend of Kayce Dutton being characterized as "a level-headed (yet often conflicted) enforcer who prioritizes his family and loves the country life" mirrored well against Grimes' real life at present as a Montana-dwelling horseman and sportsman "at one with nature" whose father was fond of wearing Stetson hats.

Alongside Western TV show actors having a moment in the sun, Stetson has paired with Texas-born Academy Award winner and Americana and country music aficionado Matthew McConaughey since 2005 and Super Bowl-winning NFL icon Tom Brady since 2007.

"(Brady) defines the passion, pride and masculine spirit of the Stetson man," stated Stetson Coty fragrance CEO Bernd Beetz in 2007. "His allure extends off the football field and he is widely known for his distinctive masculinity and irresistible character."

Regarding his association with Stetson-brand fragrances, Grimes notes that he feels Legend is "fresh and rugged." He laughs when he adds that it's a scent that "a cowboy will get dressed up like a gentleman to wear."

Growing up country ... and Western

If you dig deeper, he notes that he was initially not a cowboy hat wearer. He's a native of the rural suburbs of Dayton, Ohio, and he remains an enthusiast of backpacking, camping, fishing and hunting.

His southern Appalachian-born father was the hat wearer.

However, very quickly, he was taught the difference between country and Western culture.

Blue-collar and working-class country life is similar but markedly different from the lives spent on horseback daily that Western-dwelling cowboys lead.

"Costumes and jokes do not define Western culture — it's how people put steak on their plates every night," he says. "Playing on 'Yellowstone,' I've spent seven years in Montana, Utah and Texas learning to appreciate this. Almost a decade later, I've only recently felt entirely comfortable enough with my familiarity and respect for the culture to wear a cowboy hat naturally."

Grimes offers the following statement for people who may purchase Legend cologne or a Stetson hat and feel directly connected to country and Western culture's booming resurgence.

"I hope people understand that listening to a song, making a purchase, or watching a TV show puts you in direct conversation with one of the world's most accepting communities. I'm grateful for the kindness and love I've experienced over the past 10 years."

Musical chops lend Grimes country and Western growth

Not just one to rest his laurels in acting or being an in-demand brand pitchman, Grimes is a Universal Nashville-signed country musician associated with nine-time Grammy-winning producer Dave Cobb (Brandi Carlile, Jason Isbell, John Prine, Sturgill Simpson, Chris Stapleton). He wrote 75% of his self-titled 2024 debut album's material, which has earned over 100 million streams worldwide.

He grew up a fan of roots-driven parts of the catalogs of the Highwaymen (Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, and Waylon Jennings). Thus, he's intrigued by the growing space between Americana and country having a moment within country's resurgence.

He's also written with or performed songs by creators familiar with countrified takes on Midwestern and Western ways of life, including Rodney Clawson, Nicolle Galyon, Jon Randall and Aaron Raitiere.

This year, he was also on the same lineup at Stagecoach Festival's Palomino Stage as Leon Bridges and Charley Crockett.

"Yes, a lot of why that type of sound is having a moment is attached to 'Yellowstone''s success — among many moments," Grimes says. "It is important to have brands, festivals and television shows authentically tied to how cool this lifestyle is. I grew up as a fan of country music and Western culture, but now I'm representing it in many other capacities,"

'Riding the wave and having a great time'

Both Brady and McConaughey were paired with Stetson for nearly two decades.

Thus, when approached with the idea of a long-term association with how Stetson's branding — and on many levels his life, now in total — is based on appealing to people who, like those appreciative of Brady and McConaughey in the "American West and in the capitals of the world," he's humbled, but thoughtful.

"(Given that) I've lived in Los Angeles, attended the Cannes Film Festival, hunted and fished in Ohio and portrayed Kayce Dutton, I have an appreciation for so many cultural and socioeconomic sides of American life," says Grimes about why he's able to, like previous Stetson spokesmen, appeal to a broad population.

"I'm riding the wave and having a great time right now. I'd love everything I'm doing to continue."