In a recent child support hearing in Santa Barbara, California, actor Kevin Costner, aged 68, spilled the beans on why he decided to bid adieu to Yellowstone. Costner explained that a tough negotiation regarding splitting season 5 into two parts was the key reason behind his departure.
The seasoned actor disclosed that he had his hands full with his own Western epic, a four-part movie series called Horizon: An American Saga. Filming this project didn't jive with his Yellowstone commitments, which required him to be on set twice a year. Costner emphasized the significance of this change in his schedule, stating, "That's a big deal in this world."
At the time of his decision, there were no scripts in place for the second part of season 5, and the first part wasn't even completed. They attempted a "pay or play" deal, but it didn't pan out, even though Costner was set to earn a hefty $12 million for each part of season 5.
Costner expressed his desire to return for a sixth season of the Western series, but it proved to be a challenge. He noted, "We tried to negotiate, they offered me less money than previous seasons, there were issues with the creative..."
Before ultimately walking away, Costner made one last attempt to reconcile, proposing, "Have them pay me whatever number, we came up with a number, and they [Yellowstone] walked away." He recalled that the proposed number was $12 million, and he mentioned, "I've been told it's a little disappointing that [it's] the number one show on TV, I'm not participating."
When asked about receiving a payout for the second part of Yellowstone season 5, Costner responded, "I will probably go to court over it."
Back in June, Taylor Sheridan, the visionary behind Yellowstone, expressed his disappointment regarding Costner's departure, stating, "I'm disappointed. It truncates the closure of his character. It doesn't alter it, but it truncates it."
Paramount Network confirmed in May that Yellowstone would conclude after the second half of Season 5, pending the Writers Guild strike resolution. There were discussions about bringing Costner back to wrap up John's storyline.
Despite rumors of behind-the-scenes tension, Sheridan continued to praise Costner's work on the series, saying, "His creation of John Dutton is symbolic and powerful... and I've never had an issue with Kevin that he and I couldn't work out on the phone."
He also told THR that Costner "took a lot of this on the chin and I don't know that anyone deserves it," referencing the reported friction. "His movie seems to be a great priority to him and he wants to shift focus. I sure hope [the movie is] worth it — and that it's a good one."
