Kevin Costner has finally spoken up about the swirling rumors of his grand exit from the blockbuster series Yellowstone, putting to rest the juicy gossip of backstage brawls and ego explosions.
In an exclusive chinwag with People magazine, Costner gushed about his love for the show, the cast, and the cowboy universe they’ve created.
For five seasons, Costner rode the saddle as John Dutton before whispers of his exit began echoing through the grapevine, with some folks guessing he was galloping off to focus on his shiny new project, Horizon: An American Saga.
But the fate of Yellowstone is hanging in the balance like a cowboy on a bucking bronco, with no official word from the powers-that-be.
“When Taylor [Sheridan] first pitched me this wild rodeo, it was supposed to be one season, like a really long movie—which is totally my jam. But then, surprise! The studio had other ideas,” Costner reminisced about his initial agreement.
“And since Taylor is like the Energizer Bunny of scriptwriting, he said, ‘No problemo, I can spin this yarn into a never-ending series.'”
Costner, always up for a challenge, responded with, “Sure, I’ll saddle up for three seasons.” And what do you know? He ended up sticking around for five.
Despite his willingness to ride into the sunset after the fifth season, the production schedule was as clear as mud.
“There was this one time the show hit the brakes for 14 months,” Costner explained. “I could’ve knitted a sweater, learned to yodel, or started a llama farm in that time, but nobody told me the pause was coming.”
Costner confessed he felt “bummed out” when the rumor mill started churning out stories about his supposed diva behavior, and no one jumped to his defense.
“I read all those wild tales,” he sighed. “It was a total bummer that no one from the other side stepped up to clear my name. There came a point where I thought, ‘Geez, when is someone going to say something about what I’ve actually done instead of these wacky rumors?'”
Kevin Costner, the unsung hero of Yellowstone, holding onto his cowboy hat while the gossip tornado swirled around him. Yeehaw!