Kevin Costner says he was “disappointed” after Yellowstone’s senior players did not publicly support him during his Western Series exit.
The Oscar-winning actor, 69, who is on promotion for his new film Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1, chats with People Wednesday about his feelings about the sensitive TV topic.
“I’ve read all the stories,” Costner said. ‘I was disappointed that no one on their side… ever stepped up to defend what I was actually doing for them.
“There came a point where I thought, ‘Wow, when is someone going to say something about what I did and what I didn’t do?’
The A-lister said he enjoyed playing the role of John Dutton III during his five-season stint on the series between 2018 and 2022, for creators Taylor Sheridan and John Linson.
Kevin Costner, 69, says he was “disappointed” after Yellowstone’s senior players did not publicly support him during his Western Series exit. Pictured Tuesday in NYC
The A-lister played the role of John Dutton III during his five-season stint on the series between 2018 and 2022
“I loved the show,” Costner said. “I liked the people on the show. I liked what it was about. I love that world.’
Costner said he had been patiently waiting for more than a year for the show’s storyline and shooting schedule, but “the scripts ultimately weren’t there.”
“There was a point where that show stopped for me for 14 months,” Costner said. ‘That’s the fact. There was a lot I could have done at that time, but I didn’t know it [hold-up] would happen.’
Costner was irritated by reports that he was leaving the series to work on his film series, or making himself available for filming for only one week, the publication reported.
“In the end, I couldn’t do more for it than I already had,” Costner said of the show.
Costner said he initially only agreed to be in one season of the series.
‘When it was first pitched to me by Taylor, it was one season and [like] a long movie, that one [is] I speak my language…but ultimately I think what happened was the studio didn’t want that,” Costner told the outlet. “And because he’s such a prolific writer, he said, ‘I can do that. I can make a series that will continue.’
Costner said he “went the extra mile” and committed to working on the series for three seasons, and “eventually five seasons.”
Costner said he was impressed with the writing of Yellowstone and Sheridan’s outline for the series’ storyline.
The A-list actor said: ‘I’ve read all the stories. I was disappointed that no one on their side ever stepped up to defend what I was actually doing for them.”
Costner was depicted in the series opposite late actor Dabney Coleman
“I enjoyed the writing and really liked what Taylor did,” Costner said. “He understood the world of modern livestock farming and was able to create all this other kind of drama in it, but in an effective way.”
Despite hard feelings about his departure, Costner said he would consider appearing on Yellowstone again if the creative aspects were to his liking.
“I always felt like… it could be an interesting time to come back and wrap up the mythology of this modern family,” Costner said. “And if that happens, I would step in if I agreed with the way it happened.”