Luke Grimes may have captivated the hearts of viewers around the world on Yellow stone — but his heart belongs to his “little” family.

The 40-year-old actor and musician told PEOPLE that amid his busy schedule, surrounding the hit western drama series, in which he plays Kayce Dutton, and working as a professional musician in his personal time, he relishes always “life changing”. aspects of being a father to a 6-week-old son.

Grimes and his wife, Bianca Rodrigues Grimes – who he reportedly married on November 21, 2018 – welcomed their first child together last month, as shared in a heartwarming post. Instagram post by Bianca on October 17. “It was just magical to watch,” he says of the experience of becoming a father.

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Still, he says his tip for keeping it all together is to “just try to stay as present as possible” no matter what’s going on in his personal and professional life.

“I know some of these things can be a little overwhelming if you think about them all at once,” he admits, adding that “all I can do is just try to be present.”

For Grimes, “family has been important since I was little.”

“I have a big immediate family,” he shares. “I was the youngest of four children. They all got married when I was still very young. So by the time I had nieces and nephews, starting at the age of two, it There was family everywhere, everywhere. It was just kind of that way in Ohio and in a Christian home, and so that was always my foundation.

Even though he went to Hollywood to pursue his dreams — and always found a way to “get along even long distance” with those closest to him — Grimes says that one day having his own family is remained his “polar star” in life.

“I knew that one day I wanted to have my own family, and I knew that would be where true happiness would come from. The rest would just go to pay the bills,” he jokes.

Ultimately, this “other stuff” (Yellow stone included) does not compare in Grimes’ mind to “having my own family… my real little family now brings me more joy than anything else”.

For more on Luke Grimes and Yellowstone, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.