'Yellowstone' star talks working with Kevin Costner: 'He's a major leaguer'
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"Yellowstone" co-creator Taylor Sheridan revealed Kevin Costner's beloved John Dutton will meet his end before the Paramount Network series comes to a close.
Sheridan didn't reveal exactly how Dutton's chapter would finish but did clarify some of the rumblings about how the end of "Yellowstone" came to be in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
"My last conversation with Kevin was that he had this passion project he wanted to direct," Sheridan revealed. "He and the network were arguing about when he could be done with ‘Yellowstone.’ I said, ‘We can certainly work a schedule toward [his preferred exit date],’ which we did."
"My opinion of Kevin as an actor hasn’t altered," he added. "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. But 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."
Sheridan continued: "He 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."
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Taylor Sheridan clarified the rumors that have swirled around Kevin Costner and the end of "Yellowstone." (Getty Images)
Kevin Costner stars as John Dutton on the Paramount Network series "Yellowstone." (Paramount Network)
Costner stars as John Dutton on the Paramount Network show. The series' success led to multiple spinoff shows, including "1923" and "1883," along with an upcoming project starring Matthew McConaughey.
However, the end of "Yellowstone" after only five seasons has left Sheridan "disappointed."
"It truncates the closure of his character," he told the outlet. "It doesn’t alter it, but it truncates it."
Dutton wasn't going to be around for the very end of "Yellowstone," and Sheridan claimed the original script was left unchanged despite the abrupt ending. While the show's creator didn't reveal if Costner's character will be "taken to the train station," he did give fans a hint on what won't be happening to the beloved Western hero.
"I was killed in a f----you car crash!" Sheridan pointed out, referring to his "Sons of Anarchy" character's death.
"I don’t do f----you car crashes," he explained. "Whether [Dutton’s fate] inflates [Costner’s] ego or insults is collateral damage that I don’t factor in with regard to storytelling."
The latter half of season 5 of "Yellowstone" is slated to premiere in November after multiple delays. (Frazer Harrison)
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Costner reportedly had scheduling conflicts while filming season 5. (Paramount Network)
Rumors swirled for months that Costner wasn't seeing eye to eye with Paramount over scheduling as he wanted to devote a smaller amount of time to "Yellowstone" and more time to his personal projects, the most recent being the film "Horizon: An American Saga," which will also have three sequels.
Sheridan insists he didn't have anything to do with the scheduling issue.
"I don’t dictate the schedule. I don’t determine when things start filming. I don’t determine when things air," he explained. "Those decisions are made by people way above me. My sphere of control is the content – that’s it. No production of mine has ever waited on me. Believe me, I begged [for more time] with ‘1883.' I begged with ‘1923.’ Begged. Nope, ‘Airdate locked; for what we pay you, figure it out.’ And I don’t stand in a corner and go, ‘I’m not going to do it.'"
Paramount Media Networks chief Chris McCarthy told The Hollywood Reporter that Costner had a "very tight window."
"We had a lead talent we adore, and [Costner’s] shooting four features back to back," McCarthy said. "This ‘Yellowstone’ chapter is closing sooner than we all wanted, but we feel good with where it’s going to end."
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Costner and Kelly Reilly star in "Yellowstone." (Paramount+)
Sheridan also shut down the idea that Costner was unhappy with Dutton's character arc and that he told the star to "stick to acting."
"I never had that conversation with Kevin," Sheridan clarified. "There was a time in season two when he was very upset and said the character wasn’t going in the direction he wanted. I said, ‘Kevin, you do remember that I told you this is essentially ‘The Godfather’ on the largest ranch in Montana? Are you that surprised that the Godfather is killing people?’ What he’s clung to is [Dutton’s] commitments to his family and way of life. Dutton’s big failing is not evolving with the times – not finding different revenue streams [for the ranch]. Kevin felt season two was deviating from that, and I don’t know that he was wrong. In season three, we steered back into it."
Sheridan added: "And I recall him winning a Golden Globe last year for his performance, so I think it’s working."
The second half of season 5 of "Yellowstone" is currently slated to return in November, but could be affected by the ongoing writers strike.
