Kevin Costner is a Hollywood legend and a major staple in contemporary westerns, but he can also allegedly be a little bit difficult to work with. He butted heads with Kurt Russell over their Elvis impersonator crime movie “3000 Miles to Graceland.” He left Taylor Sheridan’s hit series “Yellowstone” before the finale and blamed Sheridan for scheduling delays because he felt the franchise had too many spin-offs. Oh, and he is apparently one seriously picky eater.
During a visit with Delish, celebrity chef Gabriel “Gator” Guilbeau, who spent five years as the head of craft services on Sheridan’s projects before joining “Yellowstone,” revealed that one season 2 scene really grossed out Costner, who plays homesteader John Dutton. In fact, the seasoned actor had a genuine on-camera reaction that made his performance more authentic, dropping an f-bomb instead of what was scripted. Instead of freaking out over helping livestock give birth on his sprawling ranch or dealing with the fallout of one of the series’ brutal death sequences, Dutton and Costner are disturbed by something a little more benign: a plate of grilled octopus.
Kevin Costner was grossed out by an octopus
Gator has a pretty fun position within the world of “Yellowstone,” as he is involved in both the show’s craft services and he portrays a version of himself as the Dutton’s personal chef. While speaking with Delish, Gator shared that in the third episode of season 2, “The Reek of Desperation,” he managed to really shock Costner with a plate of grilled octopus. He explained:
“In no way, shape, or form would he ever eat the grilled octopus. […] I set this big sea spider down in front of poor Kevin Costner … He gave me this look, and it was [a] genuine reaction that you see in the show of ‘Gator, what the h*** is that?'”
Costner actually drops an f-bomb, asking Gator “What the f*** is that,” before asking someone at the table to pass the potatoes, and it’s a genuinely funny moment from the otherwise dour Dutton. Costner is an old-fashioned meat and potatoes kind of guy, according to Gator, who says that before they met, he thinks the star might have “lived off of canned chili and hot dogs.” That’s certainly authentic cowboy chow, but isn’t exactly a well-rounded diet. Whether or not Costner went back to his pork and beans diet when he left “Yellowstone” to make his “Horizon: An American Saga” movies is anyone’s best guess, but it would lend some authenticity, at least.
Freaked out over a little octopus … really?
Gator also noted that “simple recipes, like bread pudding,” are ideal for feeding Costner, who he said has a bit of a sweet tooth. Bread pudding, hot dogs, and chili are a far cry from grilled octopus, however. While John Dutton’s daughter Beth (Kelly Reilly) might be interested in trying a Mediterranean diet, the family patriarch wanted nothing to do with it. It’s pretty funny that Costner was so disgusted by a beautifully plated tray of grilled octopus tentacles, especially when other actors have had to pretend to eat or actually eat the eight-legged creatures on camera. For example, “The Boys” actor Chace Crawford had to pretend to eat his octopus friend, Timothy, though thankfully the scene was created through the use of computer graphics, and no octopuses were actually harmed. And then there’s Park Chan-wook’s “Oldboy,” where star Choi Min-sik had to actually eat live octopuses.
In fact, the actor had to eat four live octopuses in order to get the scene just right, despite the fact that he’s a Buddhist and a vegetarian. He apologized to the little creatures and said a prayer for each of them, showing the true depth of his devotion to not just his beliefs but to his performance. Would Costner eat four live octopuses onscreen? That’s 36 wriggling, sucker-covered legs. I don’t think so. Thankfully he seems pretty set on making westerns for the rest of his career and can stick to his beans and weenies.