Yellowstone star Kevin Costner always figured he’d play a cowboy thanks to a memorable clue more than six decades ago.
Yellowstone’s Kevin Costner shared the moment it was clear that one day he’d become a Western star.
John Dutton is the patriarch of the Dutton family in the epic Western drama on Paramount Network, although it hasn’t been revealed if he’ll be back for the second half of series five.
He is, of course, portrayed by Costner who has been in a number of other cowboy-related projects bar Yellowstone, including Silverado, Wyatt Earp, and Dances With Wolves.
As a result of his long-standing career in this particular genre, the 69-year-old was celebrated by the Hall of Great Western Performers in Oklahoma.
While talking about the accolade on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Costner said: “I consider it a really great honor, [that] I was able to go back there and a lot of times when you’re going to talk to a bunch of people like that, Compton or Los Angeles or Hollywood can seem like Mars to everyone.”
He continued: “But when I was back there, I looked at them and I said ‘I’m going to talk to you, you thought enough to give me this award and when I’m done, you’ll see that we have quite a bit in common’, because my parents were from Oklahoma and came out of the dust.
“When I was done talking, we realised how much I was able to relate to them.”
Kimmell then mentioned a particular story that Costner had spoken of during his speech which had caught his attention.
The star elaborated: “You know when you go back to speak to people, you think what am I going to talk to them about.
“This Western thing, the movies, it seemed obvious, so I’m going to tell them how maybe I came to be where people see me now.”
Costner continued: “It started really early in my life and I guess the first thing that maybe should have been a clue to everyone, was in Compton in kindergarten on sharing day, you are supposed to bring the coolest thing you have.
“So I did, [when] I walked to school, I brought my father’s 3030 which is a rifle,” he said before adding: “Of course, I thought all the other stuff paled compared to what I brought.
“But she [the teacher] quickly put it away, put a note on me, because I couldn’t read and it said ‘Kevin can’t be allowed…’ I’m guessing, ‘…to do this’.
“But that was my first sharing day.”
Kimmell then joked: “You’re like Eazy-E walking around Compton with a shotgun.”
As previously mentioned, it isn’t certain that Costner is going to reprise his role as John Dutton in the final lot of Yellowstone episodes.
He had backed out after scheduling conflicts with his Western movie saga, Horizon, but he reportedly now wants to return to the show.
But will creator Taylor Sheridan change the plans for the drama to give John a worthy ending?