The story of “Yellowstone” is stuffed with bitter rivals, ego-fueled energy grabs, and that ever-lurking menace of violence merely ready to blow up, however apparently that fictional drama ended up seeping into the precise manufacturing of the acclaimed Paramount Community collection. Simply while you thought it could not get any extra intense behind the scenes, famously culminating in star Kevin Costner parting methods with the present and threatening to tug the manufacturing into court docket, issues one way or the other acquired even worse. And all of it got here to a head throughout one heated confrontation between Costner and actor Wes Bentley whereas taking pictures, described as a “tipping level” within the ongoing conflict between Costner and creator, author, and showrunner Taylor Sheridan.
In a prolonged profile dissecting Costner’s fall from grace all through the trade within the final a number of years, The Hollywood Reporter revealed some sordid particulars throughout the filming of 1 explicit second in “Yellowstone.” In line with THR, the script referred to as for a “tense alternate” between Costner’s household patriarch John Dutton, Kelly Reilly’s Beth Dutton, and Bentley’s Jamie Dutton. However on-set disagreements over how one can play this explicit scene quickly boiled over into an nearly bodily altercation. Reportedly, Costner (who was additionally an govt producer on the present) wished Bentley to diverge from Sheridan’s script. Not solely did Bentley refuse, however he apparently acknowledged in no unsure phrases that he had joined the manufacturing to do a Sheridan collection, not a Costner one. What got here subsequent, based on one unnamed supply, would depart Reilly in tears and briefly halt manufacturing.
In line with a witness:
“Kevin did not like that, and he lunged at [Bentley]. No fists have been thrown, however they have been in one another’s faces, pushing and shoving and simply getting sizzling till they needed to be separated.”
Kevin Costner’s confrontation with Wes Bentley on Yellowstone speaks to a bigger drawback
Not all’s effectively that ends effectively, apparently. Even after “Yellowstone” bowed out with its fifth and closing season in 2024, concluding with fundamental protagonist John Dutton written off the present fully and giving strategy to a revolving door of spin-offs and prequels, we’re nonetheless discovering out new particulars on the simmering feud between Kevin Costner and Taylor Sheridan — and the way it swallowed up others within the crossfire. Longtime followers know Costner has a sure status for being “tough” to work with, having spent a long time build up his credibility as each a film star and director in his personal proper. All that success (and some high-profile failures) are certain to go to 1’s head, nonetheless, and each season spent engaged on “Yellowstone” introduced Costner nearer to what the THR article calls “diva-like” conduct.
As defined by one other supply current throughout the spat between Costner and Wes Bentley:
“The incident with Wes was the road within the sand. All the things was totally different after that. Everybody beloved Wes, and so, that basically made Taylor upset. Kevin and Taylor butted heads from there on out. It acquired very awkward.”
For Costner’s half, issues would solely deteriorate from there. After leaving “Yellowstone,” he directed his vitality in direction of directing his ardour venture for the large display screen, “Horizon: An American Saga.” That did not precisely go to plan, leaving the already-finished “American Saga — Chapter 2” with an unsure future and no assure of future sequels being made and launched as meant. The manufacturing has since come underneath fireplace with lawsuits alleging unpaid charges, breaching a co-financing settlement, and sexual discrimination, harassment, and retaliation relating to a stunt performer compelled to movie an unscripted rape scene with out acceptable security tips (per THR). For Costner, so usually thought-about an trade titan and arguably one among our final real film (and tv) stars, the fallout from all this turmoil could possibly be fairly a stain on an in any other case profitable profession.
