That’s awkward…
Of course, we all know there’s a ton of drama between Kevin Costner and Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan, and they ended up having a very different ending than it would have had Costner not left the show at all, but especially on such bad terms.
The differences between the two of them have been well-reported, and in an extensive piece published today by The Hollywood Reporter, sources recalled a heat incident between Costner and his onscreen son Wes Bentley, who played Jamie Dutton.
Following the first two seasons of the show, it became incredibly popular, and many of the relatively unknown actors (aside from Costner, of course), became household names. Because of that, the dynamics shifted, and the cast and crew were extremely loyal to Sheridan and 101 Studios, and THR says:
“Paramount executives were desperate to have Sheridan’s content for Paramount+, their new streaming app. As the seasons wore on, Costner became an increasingly polarizing figure, and certain cast members were growing fed up with what several sources described as Costner’s ‘diva-like’ imperiousness.”
So yeah, things were somewhat fractured from pretty early on, but it was described as the “incident” with Wes that really changed everything. Apparently during filming a certain, emotional scene, Costner wanted Bentley to go off-script.
He pushed him to do so, and Bentley refused because he didn’t feel it was his call to make, but rather Sheridan’s decision.
When Bentley refused, a source who was present says Kevin “lunged at him,” but “no fists were thrown.” It sounds like there was some pushing and shoving, and they were in each others faces and eventually had to be separated:
“Kevin didn’t like that, and he lunged at him. No fists were thrown, but they were in each other’s faces, pushing and shoving and just getting hot until they had to be separated.”
On the one hand, when an actor like Kevin Costner is trying to create some magic in the moment, you should probably go along with it… you can always cut afterwards, and redo the scene according to the script. I mean, how many of Hollywood’s most iconic moments were improvised? It happens all the time, especially with high profile actors like Kevin Costner. But on the other, it probably wasn’t personal towards Kevin, no need to get physical over it.
Another witness says Kelly Reilly, who played the daughter of John Dutton, Beth Dutton, was in tears over it, and production briefly shut down.
But that moment was the “line in the sand” for everyone on set, and things were really awkward between Costner and Sheridan following that exchange:
“The incident with Wes was the line in the sand. Everything was different after that. Everyone loved Wes and so that really made Taylor upset. Kevin and Taylor butted heads from there on out. It got very awkward.”
A spokesperson for Bentley confirmed the altercation, telling THR:
“Work related argument during an emotional and physically tough scene. [It was] discussed and resolved.”
THR says a spokesperson for Costner declined to comment on the incident, but it’s not hard to see why the show ultimately ended the way it did when things like this were going on during filming. Granted, just like sports, music, and other fields where you’re working as a team, things will get heated. Especially when everyone is under pressure to make the finished product as great as it can be.
But at the same time, the power struggle between Taylor Sheridan and Kevin Costner has been well-documented, and it seems like this incident certainly affirms that narrative. It appears as though Wes saw deviating from the script as an affront to Taylor, and didn’t want to be pawn in their war… can’t blame him for that.
Costner has since put out his own Western film Horizon: An American Saga, which was not a huge commercial success, and of course, the Yellowstone series ended in December of last year, without Costner present in any of the episodes.
But for fans of the Yellowstone universe, several spinoffs are in the works, including Beth and Rip-focused show Dutton Ranch, the Kayce Dutton-led Y: Marshals, a prequel called 1944, and a modern-day series called The Madison.
Additionally, Landman Season 2 is set for release on November 16th, and I can’t wait. Here’s the official trailer that just dropped last week:
