Kevin Costner was reportedly so demanding on the set of Yellowstone that he nearly came to physical blows with a co-star, RadarOnline.comcan reveal.
Costner’s ego got the better of him while filming a scene with Wes Bentley and Kelly Reilly, the actors who played his character John Dutton’s children on the hit series, and it was the beginning of the end for the star of the series.
Direction Change
Costner allegedly demanded Bentley perform the scene his way, instead of how the script read.
A lengthy profile published by The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday, October 8, revealed a previously unreported incident involving Costner and Bentley as the trio shot a scene at the Dutton family dinner table while on set in Utah.
The Oscar-winning director and Yellowstone star and executive producer thought he had a better idea for how to do their scene and demanded Bentley, 47, do things his way. The exchange happened in between takes.
Bentley reportedly refused, telling Costner he signed up to do what show mastermind Taylor Sheridan wrote for the scene, not what the Waterworld star envisioned.
‘Tipping Point’
Costner seen as family patriarch John Dutton III.
“Kevin didn’t like that, and he lunged at him,” a source who was present told the outlet. “No fists were thrown, but they were in each other’s faces, pushing and shoving and just getting hot until they had to be separated.”
Reilly, 48, reportedly broke down in tears over the near-brawl, according to one witness, while production had to be shut down briefly due to the escalating tempers.
The outlet reported that the altercation became a “tipping point” for the other stars of the show, led by Costner, whose career got a much-needed boost after a string of professional failures.
Costner the ‘Diva?
Bentley and Costner share a scene in Season 3 of ‘Yellowstone.’
The first season of Yellowstone reportedly went smoothly, as Costner reveled in being back among Hollywood’s leading men, and the rest of the mostly unknown cast was happy to have a great gig with the mega-talented Sheridan, 55, in charge.
However, things began to change as Costner grew more impossible and “diva-like.”
“The incident with Wes was the line in the sand. Everything was different after that,” another witness to the Costner and Bentley fight told the publication.
“Everyone loved Wes, and so that really made Taylor upset. Kevin and Taylor butted heads from then on out. It got very awkward.”
Bentley’s spokesperson confirmed the incident, describing it as a “work-related argument during an emotional and physically tough scene,” which was “discussed and resolved.”
Costner’s ‘Horizon’ Bombs
Costner is seen with the ‘Yellowstone’ cast at the Season 2 premiere in 2019.
Costner went on to become obsessed with his pet project Horizon: An American Saga. He planned to star and direct the four-film western series and began doing so while trying to balance his work on Yellowstone.
The timing coincided with Sheridan’s announcement of plans for the Dutton family origin series, 1883.
“Nobody was jumping to buy [Costner’s] odyssey, and after 1883, he wanted to prove everyone wrong,” claimed a source. “He was obsessively pursuing it and as a result his world on Yellowstone starts unravelling.”
Costner announced in June 2024 that he wouldn’t be returning to the second half of Yellowstone’s fifth season, choosing to focus his attention on Horizon.
His character was killed off at the end of season 5A, which initially appeared to be a suicide. Season 5B’s series finale ended with Reilly killing Bentley’s character after it was revealed he murdered their father.
Costner’s first Horizon film was a box office bomb after its theatrical debut in June 2024, taking in only $38 million domestically. The second film premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September 2024, but has yet to find a distributor. The third and fourth films in the series were never produced.
