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AsYellowstonebarrels toward its final season, it’s safe to say fans are in for an emotional rodeo. But sadly, Kevin Costner, who’s been the face of the Dutton family for years, won’t be around for the last round-up. His character, John Dutton, met his end right at the beginning of Season 5B.
Yet, before the backstage rodeo, the schedule wrangling, and the rumor mill working overtime, Kevin Costner was as committed to Yellowstone as a cowboy to his trusty steed. He was all in, praising the show.
Costner wasn’t in it just for the ride—he was in it for the long haul because he believed in Sheridan’s vision. The former recognized early on that the world Sheridan created wasn’t just a collection of scenes set on horseback; it was an entire universe with its own rules.
Inside Kevin Costner’s Decision to JoinYellowstone
WhenKevin Costnerfirst saddled up forYellowstoneback in 2018, he had no idea he was stepping into a role that would become iconic. What drew him in? Was it the cattle, the mountains, the horses? No. It was the world—Taylor Sheridan’s world—a place where blood, power, and secrets mix like potent whiskey. Costner wasn’t just attracted to the idea of playing rancher. He saw a complex landscape where real, raw emotions ran deeper than the Duttons’ sprawling Montana property.
Taylor Sheridan Needs to Take One ‘Tulsa King’ Season 2 Character in Similar Direction as Yellowstone’s Rip
During a chat onArmchair Expert, Costner took a moment to throw it back to 2018, when he first said ‘yes’ to Sheridan’sYellowstone. And what was it that sealed the deal? Well, apparently it was the sheer believability of the “world” Sheridan created. “I just believed in the world”,Costner shared. The actor added:
I knew it was a soap opera. I knew we should all be in jail. We’ve all killed people there, and so you throw logic out the window, right, a little bit.
For Costner, it wasn’t just the chaos that grabbed him—it was Sheridan’s writing that had him hooked from day one.
He has a great ear, and he just wrote that stuff really authentically, and it was good fun. And he wrote my part especially well and Kelly [Reilly]’s part.
He didn’t just bring his A-game toYellowstone—he brought decades of Western expertise. His experience in the genre is legendary as he shared withPEOPLE:
I’ve always believed a good Western isn’t always just rushing towards its gunfight. f you can create language and situations, and then you end up at a gunfight, I think it can be an amazing movie or TV show.
This approach to storytelling helpedYellowstonecarve out its own niche, where the gunfights might be thrilling, but the buildup—the simmering tension—is where the magic happens.
How Much Money Kevin Costner Left on the Table by Walking Away fromYellowstone
When Yellowstone’s Season 5, Part 2, dropped on November 10, fans were gearing up for the usual drama. But what they didn’t expect was the shocking departure of John Dutton—Kevin Costner’s beloved character—who seemingly met his tragic end with a heart-stopping, jaw-dropping twist. And just like that, poof, John Dutton was no more. Cue the tears, the gasps, and an endless stream of questions.
So, what led the man who was raking in $1.3 million per episode (viaVariety) to walk away from it all? Costner wasn’t just part ofYellowstone; he was the face of it, the anchor that kept the Dutton family afloat. It’s not every day someoneturns down a paycheckthat would make most people’s heads spin. For Season 5 alone, Costner was set to pocket a staggering $12 million per half-season, totaling $24 million if he’d stuck around.
As wild asTaylor Sheridan’sYellowstonedrama is, it gets even juicier when you look at Costner’s financial landscape. Despite the eye-popping salary fromYellowstone, his cash flow wasn’t exactly steady. Court documents from his divorce with Christine Baumgartner revealed that his“average cash flow”over 30 months was $1.3 million per month (viaEntertainment Tonight). That’s a solid chunk of change.
‘It wasn’t gut-wrenching, it was pointless’: Colby Actor Can Defend Taylor Sheridan All He Wants but Yellowstone Is Now Officially a Lost Cause
However, his accountants argued that hisYellowstonesalary should not be considered for future child support payments, dropping his monthly income to just $468,136. Still a hefty sum, but quite a leap from those $1.3 million episodes.
Anyway, even with the massive paycheck and theYellowstonefame, the cracks in the partnership between Costner and the show became too wide to ignore.
The second part ofYellowstoneSeason 5 is available on Peacock Premium.
Siddhika Prajapati
Senior Journalist & Content Head
Articles Published :3310
With over 3,300 articles carved into the digital walls of FandomWire, Siddhika Prajapati excels at creating, curating, and elevating engaging stories. She takes pride in giving these stories a home and, of course, she’s got a Google Knowledge Panel to prove it!Whether it’s reviewing the latest drop on Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Apple TV+, or analyzing the cultural echoes of a streaming hit on Paramount+ or Max, Siddhika is always writing three steps ahead of the discourse.
