Summary
- Yellowstone marked Kevin Costner's triumphant return to television, earning him critical acclaim and the love of fans who had been eager for a new project from the actor.
- Costner's portrayal of John Dutton, the patriarch of the Dutton family, captivated audiences, but the show initially faced criticism for its plot twists and unlikeable characters.
- Despite rumors of a feud and the show's cancellation, Costner and Taylor Sheridan worked together on Yellowstone as fulfilling a promise they made to collaborate in their careers, although their visions for the show's direction may have clashed.
In 2018, Yellowstone was a great return to television for Kevin Costner, who hadn't had a major television role since Hatfield & McCoys. The History show had earned him a Golden Globe and an Emmy, so it was high time to return with a new project. The actor didn't just star in the show. He was also an executive producer and as such, got to work closely with Taylor Sheridan, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter behind other highly successful projects like Hell or High Water.
While fans believe the duo are currently feuding over Kevin Costner's exit from Yellowstone and the show's cancelation, they had made a promise to work together at some point in their careers, which they fulfilled when teaming up for this project.
Kevin Costner's Role On Yellowstone Thrilled Fans
Kevin Costner's return to the small screen in 2018 was welcomed by fans, who had been waiting for a new project for over five years. Initially, the show wasn't a hit with audiences, who didn't find that many characters were likable and thought that the show's plot twists were reminiscent of a soap opera.
However, as Taylor Sheridan expanded his vision of the show from season two onward, fans fell in love with not only the show itself but also how Kevin Costner portrayed John Dutton, the patriarch of the Dutton family.
In both the show and on set, Kevin Costner was a father figure to many of his co-stars, who loved working with him and getting his advice to advance their careers.
As such, they were understandably upset to hear that Kevin Costner would not re-sign after season five wraps up. Hearing rumors that he was going to be replaced by Matthew McConaughey understandably upset fans and the confirmation served to further alienate them.
How Was Kevin Costner Cast In Yellowstone?
When deciding on who was going to lead the stellar cast of Yellowstone, which sports such names as Harrison Ford, Hellen Mirren, and Sam Elliot, producers went back to a promise that Kevin Costner and Taylor Sheridan had made to each other.
The two men had decided to find a mutually rewarding project to work together.
Before the series started shooting, Keith Cox, the President of Development and Production at Paramount, described their relationship and what fans could expect of their collaboration.
“Our goal is to bring premium cinematic storytelling to television. With an icon such as Kevin Costner in front of the camera, and the renowned Taylor Sheridan behind the camera, we are off to a great start,” he said, adding, “We are thrilled to have such a celebrated actor as Costner to play the lead role in such an important project for Paramount Network.”
However, as it turned out, working together, something the two had anticipated for so long, turned sour after five seasons and Kevin Costner walked out on the show despite having made a fortune with each episode he shot.
Did Taylor Sheridan Impact Kevin Costner's Decision To Leave Yellowstone?
It appears that there was a rift between Kevin Costner's and Taylor Sheridan's visions of how the show should evolve and how much leeway Kevin would have in vetoing particular developments in the script.
In June 2023, Taylor Sheridan finally opened up about what happened. While he denied that they were feuding over Kevin Costner's exit, he was still disappointed about how it played out.
Officially, Kevin Costner left the show to work on his upcoming movie, Horizon. He cited scheduling concerns, and Taylor explained that he tried to work with him to resolve them.
"My last conversation with Kevin was that he had this passion project he wanted to direct,” he said, as reported in the source above.
“He and the network were arguing about when he could be done with Yellowstone. I said, ‘We can certainly work a schedule toward [his exit date],’ which we did.”
Moreover, Taylor Sheridan also expressed his admiration for Kevin's acting abilities and his portrayal of the central character in Yellowstone.
“My opinion of Kevin as an actor hasn’t altered,” he explained. “His creation of John Dutton is symbolic and powerful, and I’ve never had an issue with Kevin that he and I couldn’t work out on the phone.”
The screenwriter also denied rumors that he had been rude to Kevin Costner, telling him to "stick to acting" rather than poking his nose into writing and producing the series.
“I never had that conversation with Kevin,” he said.
Finally, Taylor Sheridan decried the fact that rumors circulate readily online, especially after third parties like lawyers get involved in the conversation.
“Once lawyers get involved, then people don’t get to talk to each other and start saying things that aren’t true and attempt to shift blame based on how the press or public seem to be reacting,” he said before concluding, “[Kevin] took a lot of this on the chin and I don’t know that anyone deserves it. His movie seems to be a great priority to him, and he wants to shift focus. I sure hope [the movie is] worth it — and that it’s a good one.”
It is good to hear that the two men are still on speaking terms. Taylor also showed class by wishing success to Kevin to send him off from their joint project.
