- WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Yellowstone season five
- Dawn Olivieri’s character Sarah Atwood was killed off in episode 11
- The actress believes her character was not meant to be axed so quickly
Yellowstone star Dawn Olivieri has spoken out after her character, Sarah Atwood, was killed off in the latest episode of the beloved Paramount Network drama.
Fans were left shocked after Sarah was murdered in cold blood by two hitmen in a huge plot twist on Sunday night.
Her dramatic departure came after she ordered the death of Kevin Costner’s iconic lead character John Dutton.
It’s also the second time Dawn’s character is killed in the Yellowstone franchise, as her character, Claire Dutton, was also killed off in the prequel series 1833.
Dawn, 43, broke her silence on her unexpected departure, saying she believed Sarah wasn’t supposed to be fired so quickly, but with Kevin, 69, quitting, the writers had to quickly “wrap things up.”
She said: “I knew there was an exit strategy for him (Kevin) but I don’t think I was meant to go so quickly.
“I think that was going to happen, but because we had to wrap this all up very quickly, I think it had to go the way it did.
“I believe I was meant to go into the next season and continue as a character. So I think the situation changed everything.”
Yellowstone star Dawn Olivieri has spoken out after her character, Sarah Atwood, was killed off
Her dramatic departure came after the controversial death of Kevin Costner’s character John Dutton
Dawn continued to do that The Hollywood Reporter: ‘The storyline had to run at full speed to figure out how to make ends meet and get things moving. I am grateful.
“It’s a pretty monumental role that I think will go down in history in a way because of what happened and how it played out.”
And Dawn’s departure has all gone well, as showrunner Taylor Sheridan has moved her to another project of his, Lioness.
She added: “He moved me there. They didn’t want to announce that in advance, because that would be a spoiler and tip everyone off.
‘It’s gotten out of hand. He’s a crazy man, and I love it so much!’
Sarah was murdered by two hitmen from the company she hired to kill John while on the phone with Jamie in harrowing scenes from season five.
Her death came after Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) met with the medical examiner and made enough observations to convince her that John’s death was not a suicide, but actually a murder.
After the cause of death was changed from suicide to murder, Sarah desperately tried to contact the company she hired to kill the patriarch, even getting a burner phone to contact them.
Dawn said she believed Sarah wasn’t supposed to be fired so quickly
In a new interview, the actress said: ‘I don’t think I was supposed to go that fast’
However, when she tried to call them, the number was out of service.
When Jamie Dutton (Wes Bentley) returned home, the two argued about how the murder investigation would complicate matters, with Jamie eventually punching Sarah, which led to her leaving.
Jamie quickly called and apologized, but during the call a car pulled up in front of Sarah, with a couple asking for her help.
They asked for directions to a place Sarah had never heard of, but then the man asked if she was Sarah Atwood, which surprised her.
When she started asking how he knew her name, he quickly pulled out a gun and killed her while she was on the phone with Jamie.