Another shadow from Kayce Dutton’s past is about to emerge on “Marshals,” but at least this familiar face is a friendly one. In his acting debut, country singer Riley Green joins the cast of CBS’ “Yellowstone” spin-off on Sunday (8/7c), playing Garrett, one of Kayce and Cal’s former SEAL teammates.
“I was really thrown right into it,” Green tells TVLine of his very first acting role. “I’ve filmed some music videos, but there was no dialogue. This was real acting, and I’m so glad. I didn’t want to tiptoe into this world where I show up as a country singer and play a song. I wanted it to be a real role, and man, what an awesome place to start in the acting world on a show like this.”
“Marshals” is actually a very fitting show to launch Green’s acting career, as Tim McGraw’s performance in “Yellowstone” spin-off “1883” is largely what inspired Green to act in the first place.
“I always thought that acting was something you were born with, the ability to do that, or you could go to drama school, that kind of thing,” Green says. “And I was never around that. I played three sports growing up, and I was a lot more interested in fishing and hunting. So when I saw how good [McGraw] was, it made me think, ‘Man, this could be something that you could really work on, and if I made it a priority, maybe it’s something that I could do.'”
The stars further aligned for Green when he befriended “Marshals” star Luke Grimes in Nashville, where the two were working on Grimes’ music career together. Green casually mentioned to Grimes that he was interesting acting, to which Grimes suggested that he give it a shot.
“I had no idea that there would be a show this soon, but they had a part kind of written for me, so I flew out and read for it with Luke in Utah,” Green recalls.
Who is Garrett on Marshals?
So, who is Garrett and how does he enter the world of “Marshals”? His arrival in the April 19 episode comes as a total surprise to Kayce, who happily offers his old teammate a place to crash while he’s in the area.
“Garrett wants everybody to believe that he’s this carefree, laid-back guy, but as we find out, he’s got a lot of demons and is bothered by a lot of the same stuff that Kayce is,” Riley Green tells TVLine.
While Kayce’s reunion with Garrett is a pleasant one, we can’t say the same about Cal, who’s considerably less excited to see his old teammate after all these years.
“There’s a real issue between those two,” Green explains. “That’s a constant, and it’s not just hinted at. What was great was that I learning [more about their relationship] along with the filming. As I got each script, I would see where that went and if it got resolved and what caused it. Not only is there a divide between Cal and Garrett, but it also puts Kayce in the middle and forces him to take sides, which adds a whole other dynamic.”
And while Green’s character isn’t just about music, he does promise a special performance of his song “My Way.” Green says the lyrics feel appropriate to what’s happening in the story.
“It’s a really cool song, and I don’t even want to say [the producers] gave me a bunch of freedom — they didn’t tell me anything,” Green says. “They said, ‘Here, play a little something.’ So it was great that I got to pick that creatively. It made me feel like a part of it.”
Are you looking forward to Green’s debut on tonight’s episode of “Marshals”? Drop a comment with your thoughts on the “Yellowstone” spin-off below.
