Season four of Yellowstone is finally on the air and fans everywhere are breathing a sigh of relief. We were left hanging with one heck of a season three finale and delayed filming due to the coronavirus pandemic. But it was all worth the wait.
A show this popular must pay pretty well, right? Here are the current estimations for the main cast's salaries per episode.
Kevin Costner's Salary
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There's no denying that Costner is the biggest Hollywood star to appear on the popular series. In addition to being the main lead, he's also credited as an executive producer who works closely with creator Taylor Sheridan. In a 2017 interview with the Hollywood Reporter, the Paramount Network's Kevin Kay commented on the claims that Costner was making a hefty $500,000 per episode. That's $5 million per season for those interested in the math.
"The statement we wanted to make was that we're open for business and we're willing to pay top-tier actors whatever their quotes are. It sends a message and that's what we want to do."
It was probably worth paying the star that much money because it helped turn the series into the phenomenon it is today. It was Costner's star power that drew in initial viewers and his talent has helped ground the show over the past three seasons. Granted, he's joined by a seriously incredible cast, which doesn't hurt things either.
Read More: Kevin Costner's 11 Best Movies, Ranked
Salary for the Secondary Leads
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This includes Cole Hauser (Rip Wheeler), Kelly Reilly (Beth Dutton), Luke Grimes (Kayce Dutton), Wes Bentley (Jamie Dutton), and Kelsey Asbille (Monica Dutton). Cinema Blend estimates that each of these actors earns $200,000 per episode which would come out to $2 million per season. This is currently unconfirmed, so who knows if it's true or not, but this would mean that they all make less than half of what Costner is bringing in per episode. Granted, none of them are Oscar-winning filmmakers with the same level of experience as the legendary Costner so this probably makes sense.
We aren't sure what this means for some of the other actors like Jefferson White whose breakthrough performance as Jimmy has been one to watch since the very beginning, or Gil Birmingham, who plays Chief Rainwater.
Cole Hauser Net Worth
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Celebrity Net Worth estimates that Cole Hauser has the second-highest net worth following Kevin Costner (with an estimated $250 million) coming in at $7 million. Born into Hollywood royalty, (his great-grandfather was Harry Warner of Warner Bros), he's well known for starring in a slew of successful films over the years — Good Will Hunting (with Ben Affleck and Matt Damon), 2 Fast 2 Furious, Dazed and Confused, School Ties, Tears of the Sun, Pitch Black, Higher Learning, Paparazzi, The Break-Up, Olympus Has Fallen, Hart's War, A Good Day to Die Hard, The Hit List, The Stone Angel, Tigerland and Transcendence, as well as TV shows High Incident, K-Ville, and Rogue.
As for his personal life, he married former actress and Sweet Valley High star Cynthia Daniel and they have three children together — Steely Rose, Colt and Ryland.
Why Did Season Four Change Filming Locations?
Initially, Yellowstone split time filming between Montana and Utah with the majority of time being spent filming in the Park City area. But after COVID, season 4 of the TV series was filmed completely up at the Chief Joseph Ranch in Darby, Montana. According to Cinema Blend, the tax incentives could have also been a reason to shift production. Montana has a $10 million tax credit law and Utah only offers an $8.5 million tax credit.
The cast and crew all lived in close quarters on the Montana ranch during filming and apparently spent an estimated 20% of their budget on COVID testing and meeting protocols. The majority of the cast relocated from California while Costner's family came out during filming from their ranch in Colorado.
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