Yellowstone star breaks silence after being killed off in major blindside and reveals surprise new project

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There were no shortage of reactions on social media after the shocking death, which sets a dark and sinister tone for the last three episodes.

The actor who was killed off has now opened up about the unceremonious death and what they have coming next.

The character was none other than Sarah Atwood (Dawn Olivieri), a ruthless lawyer for Market Equities who paid a shadowy company to kill Montana governor John Dutton (Kevin Costner).

The actress, 43, who previously played Claire Dutton on the Yellowstone prequel 1883, also revealed her new gig, a role on another series from Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan: Paramount Plus' Lioness.

Yellowstone fans were left stunned at the end of Sunday's new episode when a pivotal character was killed off 

The actor who was killed off has now opened up about the unceremonious death and what they have coming next

The character was none other than Sarah Atwood (Dawn Olivieri), a ruthless lawyer for Market Equities who paid a shadowy company to kill Montana governor John Dutton ( Kevin Costner)

The actress, 43, who previously played Claire Dutton on the Yellowstone prequel 1883, also revealed her new gig, a role on another series from Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan: Paramount Plus' Lioness

Olivieri's Sarah Atwood was introduced in the second episode of Season 5 back in 2022, when her company Market Equities summoned her to Montana to deal with the Dutton family.

She quickly set her sights on Jamie, who she insisted was falling for the Montana Attorney General for legit reasons and he quickly fell for her.

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Towards the end of the first half of Season 5, Sarah floated the idea of having John Dutton killed, stating she knew of a company that could make it look like an accident or even a suicide.

When the show finally returned after a nearly two-year hiatus, it was revealed John Dutton had died, seemingly by suicide, before Sarah revealed to Jamie that this was her doing.

That plan hit a serious setback in Sunday's new episode, when Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) pointed out a number of things to the medical examiner that made her change her cause of death from suicide to homicide.

The mysterious company Sarah hired started tying up loose ends, having a seemingly normal couple kill Sarah in her car while she was at a stop sign and talking on the phone with Jamie.

'I always sort of know it’s coming. And to read it is like, "OK, here we go." We got what we all wanted. I think everyone is happy that the train station came,' she said, referring to the 'train station' being Yellowstone code for murder.

'I tend to play that character that you love to hate, and that character is always setting up the hero to win. And, how does the hero win? It’s sort of the symbiotic relationship that goes part and parcel with the villain, or the antagonist. I always sort of know it’s coming, and to read it [in the script] is like, “OK, here we go,"' she said.

Olivieri's Sarah Atwood was introduced in the second episode of Season 5 back in 2022, when her company Market Equities summoned her to Montana to deal with the Dutton family.

She quickly set her sights on Jamie, who she insisted was falling for the Montana Attorney General for legit reasons and he quickly fell for her

'Dying as an actor is really an interesting journey, because I really try to go as deep as I possibly can and I make it as real as I possibly can. And so to have died as many times as I have died in my career — [the saying is to] “die before you die,” I’m just getting a chance to do it professionally!' she joked.

She added that series creator Taylor Sheridan is 'special,' adding that, 'a death for me just means a life somewhere else, and he immediately moved me to another show. So, it’s a fun thing to read and then be like, “Oh, I’m doing a different thing now.”

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That 'different thing' is another Sheridan show, Lioness, which she'll make her debut on Sunday, December 1, as she revealed why her casting wasn't announced.

'They didn’t want to announce that beforehand, because that would be a spoiler and tip everyone off,' to Sarah Atwood's ultimate demise.

When asked about her Lioness character, Olivieri wouldn't say much, except that the role is, 'totally different' from Sarah Atwood.

'Taylor calls me his Swiss Army knife. He’ll text me and say, “Yo, Swiss Army knife. I need ya.” And I say, “Reporting for duty.” My last text to him was literally, “You tell me what and where, and I’m there.” And that’s it, that’s my response. Another show, another day, another character,' she said. 

One of the biggest questions for Sarah was whether her involvement with Jamie was genuine or if she was just trying to manipulate him on behalf of her company.

When asked if she actually loved him, Olivieri said, 'Look, the funny thing about love is that you can define it in whatever way it makes sense to you. And based on the trauma you live in your own life, you can decide if love is a transaction or constant affection.'

'Dying as an actor is really an interesting journey, because I really try to go as deep as I possibly can and I make it as real as I possibly can. And so to have died as many times as I have died in my career — [the saying is to] “die before you die,” I’m just getting a chance to do it professionally!' she joked.

'I think that was her way of love, and I think Jamie responded to that. We were able to see that he also spoke that language, and that was the connection they had. They could have been an insane powerful couple, who would have been very scary to be working up against!' she said

'But the truth is that a lot of people as they live their life end up having skewed perspectives. To touch someone who has been molested is almost like a pain, right? Can you image? So sometimes you get these interesting psyches where to open up is painful, or not safe, or trauma,' she said.

She added, 'So to her, power is love and the transaction is what feels like love: “You care about me if you win with me, or if you listen to everything I say.”'

'I think that was her way of love, and I think Jamie responded to that. We were able to see that he also spoke that language, and that was the connection they had. They could have been an insane powerful couple, who would have been very scary to be working up against!' she said.

She also stars in the upcoming film Homestead alongside Neal McDonough, in theaters December 20.