Kevin Costner made big stars out of most of the Yellowstone cast, but they’ve reportedly begun to ghost the embattled actor-producer as he fights show creator Taylor Sheridan and Paramount over the closure of his character, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Cole Hauser, Luke Grimes, Kelly Reilly, Wes Bentley, and others used to gush about the 69-year-old Dances with Wolves Oscar winner as he played the role of gritty, no-nonsense Montana ranch patriarch John Dutton in Yellowstone, but have since turned their backs on Costner, sources said.
“They play nice and exchange pleasantries, but he’s not getting the support he would have expected,” an insider tattled, “Other than Kelly, who had fame for the Sherlock Holmes movies, Kevin made most of these people the big stars they are.”
The source also argued that “even Kelly’s star rose higher because she and Kevin played off each other so well.”
But now the cast members are caught in the middle of Costner’s feud with Sheridan, the insider revealed, saying they “don’t want to get in trouble, so they iced him out.”
“They’re not picking sides, and that made Kevin bitter,” the tipster added.
Costner stepped away from the modern Western series over a scheduling conflict, and later said he didn’t shoot the second half of season 5 because “there was no script.”
He said he was frustrated over what he saw was a lack of support from Sheridan and studio execs amid the media firestorm that ensued. He groused that they “didn’t stick up for me.”
The actor, whose on-screen portrayal of Dutton began in 2018, reportedly demanded “script approval” and wanted the final say on how his character would be written off the show — but the studio refused.
“Now,” the insider claimed, “lawyers are involved and no one’s talking!”
Costner confirmed last week that he would not be returning to the show, and said the decision was “necessary” after months of bitter negotiations.
“It wasn’t tough,” Costner told The Hollywood Reporter this week, adding that he hoped his exit sent the message: “OK, I don’t want to really talk about this anymore. It’s time to move on.’”
“I gave this thing five seasons,” the Oscar-winner explained, “I was really happy to do it. And I don’t need drama. So, let’s just take that drama away, let’s take the guessing [away]. The fans have been way too good to me. And my obligation is to go on and continue to make things that mean something to them.”
The fallout between Costner and his Yellowstone colleagues was also reportedly fueled by the actor’s demands for less time filming the show so that he could focus on his other project, Horizon: An America Saga.
Costner wrote, directed, and stars in the multi-part series, which he reportedly spent $38 million of his own money to finance. The first movie will hit theaters on June 28, followed by Part 2 in August, and is projected to earn $12 million on opening weekend.
