'I just wanna thank Kevin.'
, Merrill's brush with Hollywood consisted of a few commercials. Suddenly, his profile would be elevated exponentially thanks to an abundance of pivotal scenes with Costner in the early seasons of the show -- from bonding over fishing and bedtime stories to indulging on donuts and expertly negotiating his first horse.
No longer could Merrill draw on his boyish charm, like when he defended his father Kayce from his bullying brothers, prompting Merrill to throw a fish straight in Lee Dutton's face before running to his father to cry on his shoulders. Merrill soon realized he had to up his acting chops, which also meant acting was no longer just a hobby."I was kind of just doing it for fun," Merrill admits.
The next morning, John Dutton visits Monica in the hospital after she suffers an unimaginable loss -- a baby boy -- in the aftermath of the crash.