Rainwater’s efforts to acquire the Dutton Ranch have come to an end in the Yellowstone series finale. Played by Gil Birmingham since the show’s launch, Thomas Rainwater is the Chief of the Broken Rock Indian Reservation and was introduced as an antagonist to Kevin Costner’s John Dutton III, working to reclaim the land the Duttons call home for his people. As the show has progressed, though, and other threats have come to Montana, Rainwater and Dutton have steadily had to put their differences aside to work together to protect those they care about.

Yellowstone season 5 has brought the Taylor Sheridan show to a close, with Rainwater and Mo working with John after he won the race for governor to ensure that an oil pipeline doesn’t go through their land. In the wake of John’s death, and Kayce and Beth’s investigation to determine who was behind it, the youngest Dutton child elected to forge a deal with Rainwater giving him and the Broken Rock Reservation the land, permitted that he, Monica and Tate can live on a parcel of land they’ve set aside for themselves.

Alongside Birmingham, the Yellowstone season 5 part B cast included the returns of Wes Bentley as Jamie Dutton, Kelly Reilly as Beth Dutton, Luke Grimes as Kayce, Kelsey Asbille as Monica, Cole Hauser, Brecken Merrill, Jefferson White, Ryan Bingham, Wendy Moniz and Forrie J. Smith. Delivering enough of a finished ending for some of its characters while leaving the door open for future stories, Sheridan has closed out the show on an emotional note.

Shortly after it aired, ScreenRant interviewed Gil Birmingham to discuss the Yellowstone series finale, Rainwater’s initial reaction to John’s death, how both he and his character feel about getting the land from the Dutton family and what that means for the Broken Rock’s future, as well as what audiences can expect from the upcoming Wind River: The Next Chapter and his thoughts on the upcoming animated Twilight reboot at Netflix.

Birmingham Found Bringing Yellowstone To An End A “Bittersweet” Experience
He Also Finally Shares His Thoughts On John Dutton’s Death

It’s great to see you again, and to talk more about Yellowstone. I can’t believe we’re at the end, at least for the mainline show. How does it feel for you being at the end after five seasons?

Gil Birmingham: Five and a half seasons, seven years, 14 days, six hours. [Laughs] No, it’s bittersweet. I think we all know that nothing lasts forever, unless you’re Law and Order, or something like that. It was a great resolution, very powerful. I think, throughout the whole last half of the season, we were all quite introspective and nostalgic about sharing our seven years together, and just being so blessed to be part of such a great project and great people. So, I don’t know that we’re letting go of that. It’s over, essentially, but we don’t know any more than that. We’re just riding on hope.

Now, when we last spoke, it was before the premiere, so I hadn’t seen anything yet. And now, of course, we know that John is indeed gone. Obviously, there was such a great sort of chess game going on between John and Rainwater throughout the show. What was it like for you when you learned that that was going to be the ultimate fate for the character?

Gil Birmingham: Well, there would be, obviously, different scenarios that would have to be strategized. I think that Rainwater had a deep respect for John, and John had for Rainwater. This was nothing that he would have ever hoped for John, his demise. And I think they almost became more allies toward the end than the adversarial relationship they had in the start. But I was a new Chairman myself, too, and I felt like Rainwater has something to prove. But, yeah, I think the way it evolves kind of presented opportunities that we would find a solution for both of us. It would have been interesting to see how it may have ended had John stayed in. But, ultimately, I think it still would have resulted in the way that it did, in some form of another.

Birmingham Was “Emotionally Overwhelmed” By Rainwater & The Broken Rock Getting The Ranch
He Also Addresses How It Will Impact His People’s Opinion Of Him

So, talking about the way it ended, I honestly do love that Rainwater and the reservation get such a big portion of the land back, because that is their ancestral land. It was prophesied back in 1883, that it was eventually going to come to be, but how did it feel for you, again, when you saw in the script, and when you learned from Taylor that that was going to be the resolution to this conflict?

Gil Birmingham: I can now speak to the day that we filmed it, and I felt the same way when I read it. I was just really emotionally overwhelmed. Because I don’t think Thomas Rainwater would have imagined, maybe in his lifetime, that he would have been able to accomplish the gathering of all that land, the 260,000 acres. There was going to be a piecemeal deal, and it was going to be an uphill battle all the way, not just with John, but the corporate interest that wanted that land, as well, which I don’t think is going to end, even with Rainwater designating it as a wilderness area. But, yeah, it was very, very moving and very touching.

And I think for Rainwater, primarily because his intent was to try and try to acquire land, first of all, as a steward of the responsibility through the law of nature for his people, so they would have a home that couldn’t be pulled away from them. There’s a lot of historical stuff that’s part of it. I use the reference of the reservations when they’re first designed, and how they just got smaller and smaller and smaller. And the hope for Rainwater was that, “We’re going to find a home that nobody can take away from us, and that we’re going to steward this land, in terms of what we feel our responsibility is, and to keep it as close to the condition it was in before man even came here.”

So, in talking about that responsibility then, obviously we saw some friction on the reservation over whether Thomas should stay the chairman. But how do you think his getting the land is going to impact how his people see him going forward?

Gil Birmingham: I would think [his people] would be thrilled that the community has gotten the land back. I don’t think they would have imagined that this would have happened in such a large scale. Now, the responsibility is how do you generate enough resources to be able to do that stewardship? Because it’s a sacrifice. It was for the Duttons all those 141 years.

It’s not like, “Yeah, we own it, so we’re protecting it.” It’s all the other outside interests that are trying to destroy it or exploit it. So, I don’t see that element of it going away. But in terms of the intention of Rainwater, I use the example of some of the tribes that I know that have really developed communities for their tribe of schools and hospitals and a community where they can feel safe and comfortable, and know that it’s not going to be taken away from them and, outside of that, maybe the utilization of an educational center.

I know more and more people are finding that the city life is very kind of spiritually draining, and the only thing that they’re missing is their connection to Mother Earth. That’s kind of the whole culture of the Native world. Mother Earth is the one thing that sustains all life, and we’ve been so disconnected from it. That’s why we have the depression and the sadness that most people feel. So, I think that would be a great opportunity for people to come in and maybe learn about what the land and the history of where we all originate.

Birmingham Thinks Rainwater Will Stay True To His Land Treaty With Kayce
He Also Remains Hopeful For A Broken Rock-Focused Spinoff

So, you talk about Thomas’s intention, by the way, with the land, and I am curious, because part of the deal is that Kayce, Monica and Tate get a portion of it off in the distance. Do you think that, in the long run, Thomas is going to stay true to that word, or do you think he eventually might have his own designs for taking over the entirety of the property?

Gil Birmingham: I think Thomas will honor the treaty. [Chuckles] I’ll just say that much, we’ll honor the treaty like we always have. It’s never been us who have broken any of our treaties, and that’s out of respect. And, hopefully, [it leads to] engagement, because Tate is half-Native, as well, and I would hope that him and Monica, his mother, would want to especially be engaged with any of the activities on the reservation, especially for Tate. He’s coming from both worlds, right? The holding of the land was on one side, the Duttons, and now the holding on the land is on his other side. So, it’ll be an interesting, growing-up experience for him.

It’ll definitely be an educational one for him as well going forward. So, in talking about the future, we know that Beth and Rip are getting their own Yellowstone spinoff out in Dillon. Obviously, the door is still open for everybody else’s stories to continue. Have you heard any potential good news about Thomas’s future, what it may hold on the screen?

Gil Birmingham: I think we’re going to buy Dillon, too, so that they’re going to be on our reservation. [Laughs] No, Taylor’s always been very close to the vest about any thoughts that he has about it. I don’t know, maybe that makes it even more exciting, because it lends itself to trust, you know? You trust that Taylor knows the direction he wants to go. And, yeah, plenty of people have suggested that [a Broken Rock spinoff], and I think it would be a wonderful world of exploring the Rainwater-Mo world, now being the reverse scenario of the keeper of the land, as opposed to the legacy of the Dutton family.

Sheridan Was “Completely Open To Any Collaboration” With His Native Cast For Authenticity Purposes

“…some of them are very rich in tradition, and you have to be quite sensitive about the portrayal of them.”

It would be really interesting to see Thomas and Mo, like you say, carry on that stewardship of the land and see what they do with it. I’d love to hear about working with Mo, too. You’ve been with him for five-and-a-half seasons, and you guys had such a great dynamic throughout the show. What were some of your favorite parts about working with him throughout this show?

Gil Birmingham: I knew Mo before the show started. I met him some eight years prior to Yellowstone, and I think it’s wonderful how he got brought in as simply my driver, and then he became basically my partner and cultural anchor. Which was so true to life, because Mo was raised in the Lakota reservation from the time he was a child, so he’s much more informed, because I didn’t find out about my Native roots until I was a little older.

So, it was really such a great, great compatible presentation of the characters, Thomas Rainwater and Mo. Generally speaking, whenever I’ve worked, you’re the only Native character. You don’t really have the support of another Native character, and especially someone who’s an elder in their own tribe. And that was probably the best gift, that we were there to support each other. Taylor was completely open to any collaboration or suggestions, and he was a big asset.

I actually did want to ask about that, as well, since we’ve talked quite a bit about culture, and being true to it. How much did you find that you were collaborating directly with Taylor on the scripts to sort of really make sure that everything felt, and was, authentic?

Gil Birmingham: I think when we would read scenarios, some of them are very rich in tradition, and you have to be quite sensitive about the portrayal of them. The vision quest was an example of that. These go back to historical purposes of not trusting that you can share any of the Native traditions and rituals and ceremonies, because it’s not that long ago that they were banned by the government. It was very important to be sensitive to what we could show, but enough that it would steer the curiosity.

We always have a philosophy that so many people, most people, have so little knowledge about anything of ceremony in the Native world that we can pique their interest, maybe, along the lines of educating that they’ll be curious enough to start looking into it, and more importantly, that they see us as human beings. We’re still fighting the notion that most people think that Native Americans are artifacts, and don’t even exist, or don’t equate to an equal human being, sadly enough. I think that’s one of the great gifts of the show, as well, and the characters that Taylor has written.

They really are such well-rounded characters, and really do offer a great modern-day representation that I love to see. So, would you say then that the vision quest was your favorite inclusion in the show, or was there another element that you really loved getting to help bring to the screen for your culture?

Gil Birmingham: I think it was probably the most complicated one, in terms of what we could portray without revealing the sacred aspects of it. But I think coming to the resolution of the show might be my favorite, because it was so powerful and so moving. And it really spoke to, I think, the notion of unity, of how John and Rainwater actually had more in common than they had in conflict. And they came to realize that, and that was the land, first and foremost.

And I think that’s what the resolution kind of presents, as well, is that if we don’t acknowledge and respect our humanity, then we’re kind of disavowing even the principles of the Bible, and other cultures that speak of what the spiritual experience on this planet is, and not just the human experience. That’s why we have the diversity. If all the trees were the same, and all the birds were the same, there’d be no diversity. But that’s not how creation was made. So, I think that’s the most important part is understanding the unity that’s necessary to live a harmonious life.

Wind River: The Next Chapter Will Be A “Very Different Beast” From The First One
Birmingham Is, Though, In The Dark On When The Sequel Will Come Out

I do see I’m coming up on time, so I have a couple other questions outside of the show I’d love to ask you about. The first is a sort-of-Taylor question in the sense that you’re coming back for the Wind River sequel, I read. It’s been a little while since we’ve heard anything about it. What can you share about when we might start hearing more updates on it?

Gil Birmingham: Just to be quick about it, we filmed that probably two-and-a-half years ago. Taylor’s not associated, he didn’t write it, and he didn’t produce it. Matthew [George] is one of the producers on Wind River that came to me with it. So, I’m not really sure, we’re rather curious ourselves of of what the holdup is in certain terms of distribution and how it may come out. But, it’s quite a bit different story than the original one. It’s more of a thriller, I would think. And I don’t know if that’s part of the complication, you know, is it drama? Is it thriller? Determining how they really want to market it, but it’s yet to be seen. Yeah, it’s kind of just faded off there for a while. Who knows what will happen with it?

Well, hopefully we’ll hear something soon. I know that Taylor didn’t have any involvement in it in comparison to the first one. What was it like coming back to a world, but not having the original creative mind behind it? Did you find that the new team was still doing well to honor the original or did you feel that they maybe brought something unique and new to this world?

Gil Birmingham: Well, like I mentioned previously, I think it was kind of developed more as a thriller. Wind River really wasn’t that. I don’t really know how to speak to it. It’s a very different beast. We’ve got my son coming back, Martin Sensmeier, who’s kind of rehabilitated, been taken under the wings of Jeremy Renner in the role of the Fish and Game Warden. Then, he’s on a mission to try to find somebody who’s got revenge behavior going on on the rez. It’s kind of one of those investigative-and-capture stories of what’s going on on the land. I don’t know, I’m not speaking very well of it, because I haven’t seen it, and I wasn’t in it a whole lot, anyway. [Chuckles] But, we’ll see.

Birmingham Wasn’t Aware Of The Animated Twilight Reboot
He Also Remains Amazed By The Franchise’s Passionate Fanbase

For my very final question, you were obviously also a big part of the Twilight franchise, which is getting a reboot in an animated form on Netflix. I’m curious what your thoughts are on it getting retold all these years later.

Gil Birmingham: I’m just finding that out, I didn’t know they were doing that. You know, Twilight seems to live on. I’m so surprised, even by the fanbase, when I’m out about town, and I’ll just assume it’s Yellowstone fans. I’ll get approached, and it’s a bunch of Twilight fans. I actually did a festival up in Forks, Washington just a couple of months ago, and it’d been about 10 years since I did any kind of Twilight convention.

You know, 1000 people showed up from Brazil and New Zealand and Argentina, and they were just avid fans, and spent all this money just to travel, to come to this thing, and I had such an appreciation of their passion for it. Something spoke to them, and I think it’s always about connection and community. They found somebody that they share a passion with, and they make lifelong friends. I think it’s a beautiful thing to be a part of, but it’s the first time I’m hearing about the animation.

About Yellowstone Season 5 Part B

Yellowstone chronicles the Dutton family, led by John Dutton, who controls the largest contiguous cattle ranch in the United States. Amid shifting alliances, unsolved murders, open wounds, and hard-earned respect – the ranch is in constant conflict with those it borders – an expanding town, an Indian reservation, and America’s first national park.

Yellowstone is co-created by Oscar-nominated screenwriter Taylor Sheridan (Wind River, Hell or High Water and Sicario) and John Linson. Executive producers include John Linson, Art Linson, Taylor Sheridan, Kevin Costner, David C. Glasser, Bob Yari, Stephen Kay, Michael Friedman, Christina Voros and Keith Cox. The series is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.v