Taylor Sheridan once praised Kevin Costner’s star power, but their feud led to the actor’s exit from Yellowstone for which fans blame Sheridan’s ego.
Many fans believe Yellowstone may not have been as successful as it has been without the gracious yet commanding screen presence of Kevin Costner. Taylor Sheridan’s competitive universe got a whole lot brighter with Costner’s addition and the actor truly justified why he’s known as one of the greatest in Hollywood.
However, Costner is far from being just a pretty face. He had numerous ideas and opinions on the story that were sometimes incorporated into the Yellowstone storyline.
Playing John Dutton on screen was easy for the actor, especially because the two personalities converged in the distance, making him a believable ranch head in the tricky lands of Montana. Headstrong, stubborn, and courageous are just a few words that can describe both John Dutton and Costner equally well.
Taylor Sheridan praises Kevin Costner’s star power
Back when the show aired in 2018, people were largely unaware of Taylor Sheridan and the intriguing narratives he had up his sleeve. The writer-director had a few Hollywood projects under his belt, but nobody could have believed that he’d be leading an entire television series universe that spans multiple IPs and projects.
Starting with Yellowstone, Sheridan knew he had to make a splash. And who better to help him make a mark than one of Hollywood’s most famous and powerful faces – Kevin Costner? The legendary actor’s addition to the show was enough to garner enough eyeballs that Yellowstone soon became one of the most popular shows on television.
Talking about getting Costner on board for the show, Sheridan told Variety,
Kevin’s one of the biggest movie stars of the past 40 years, and well deserved. He’s an incredible storyteller as a director, as a writer, as an actor, and so when you have that kind of tool in your toolbox, you can write him into some really conflicting situations.
While Sheridan saw all the upsides of hiring Costner as John Dutton, he could not have anticipated the travails that lay ahead. Toward the end of the series, Costner reportedly exited the show over creative differences with Sheridan. As you can guess, the show steadily went downhill after that, marking the end of an era.
Why did Kevin Costner leave Yellowstone?
Though the official reason stated for Costner’s departure says scheduling conflicts and other commitments, fans are pretty sure that the actor and director parted ways due to irreconcilable differences.
Both celebrities are incredibly headstrong, with Sheridan not appreciating people contributing to the writing process. With Costner’s opinions, there may have been a clash on set that led to Costner calling it quits.
Social media, especially Reddit is abuzz, with theories as to what made Costner and Sheridan go their separate ways. Many blame Sheridan’s ego for the show falling apart and not many people are fans of him inserting himself in shows as an actor.
Users have no qualms about piling on the Sheridan-hatred train, where every one of his actions is dissected. From deeming his acting cringe to holding him responsible for low-grade writing in some episodes, Redditors had a field day criticizing Sheridan and his moves.