'You're gonna lose your audience': Kevin Costner's dad warned him 'Yellowstone' would hurt his career
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: After four seasons on Paramount Network, 'Yellowstone' has grown to be the most popular cable drama on television. Kevin Costner, who plays John Dutton in the show, stated in a throwback interview that his late father forewarned him about his role, telling him the show was "naughty" and would turn off the fans. The hugely successful series follows a Montana rancher family as they fight off invaders who try to take over their land.
Cast members Kelsey Asbille, Luke Grimes, Costner, Kelly Reilly, and Cole Hauser talked about the show's success in an interview with Scott Feinberg of The Hollywood Reporter. The interview was uploaded to 'Yellowstone's YouTube page where Costner said that his parents died in 2021, "within months of each other." He stated that although his father "took a big interest in my career," one of his career predictions for his son did not pan out, as per Taste of Country.
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'That is a naughty show'
Costner recalled, "He said, 'You're gonna lose your audience, fella.'" Reminiscing, Costner did an impersonation of his father's voice. "He said, 'That is a naughty show.' And he said, "They're gonna drift away, son ... you mark my words, that's naughty.'"
But Costner's father changed his mind after the 2018 premiere of 'Yellowstone'. As Costner said, "Two years later, he's going, 'The nurses wanna know how it ends, and they just love [the show]," Costner recounts. "And he just forgot about that other prediction."
'Yellowstone' stirs up controversy after Costner Instagram post
Earlier in April 2023, when Paramount's popular series was in the midst of a season break, a video showing John Dutton complaining, "I'm gonna need a drink for this," was shared on the 'Yellowstone' Instagram account, along with the joking description, "A new work week? No thanks."
While some fans responded to the ironic post with the phrases "I am John Dutton, John Dutton is me," and "Me too," others expressed their disappointment at how long the show had been off the air in the comments section. One commenter said, "This has been too long of a wait for us fans," while another said, "I love this show but this wait is ridiculous."
Following allegations that Paramount is considering canceling the neo-western drama due to schedule conflicts with the actor, Costner's future on 'Yellowstone' has recently been the subject of much discussion.
At a 'Yellowstone' discussion in early April, Keith Cox, president of development and production at Paramount Network, explained Kevin's part in the series. He informed the audience, "What I can say is our star, the face of our show and the executive producer, are very confident he's going to continue with our show."
Is Kevin Costner leaving 'Yellowstone'?
With the planned offshoot films, the 'Yellowstone' universe is continually expanding. However, it appears that the main character who started it all might be leaving the program. Costner, who was a major factor in the show realizing its full potential as John Dutton III, is said to be departing the series.
While there were rumors that Costner was working on another project and wasn't spending enough time on the show, there was no word of him bidding farewell. After receiving a Golden Globe award for his performance on the show last month, Costner's rumored departure from the show has shocked viewers.
Since February of this year, there have been rumors about Costner leaving. The second blow came when Matthew McConaughey and Paramount were negotiating to add a new offshoot to the Dutton saga. Additionally, Costner has been absent from the set for a while, and the cast and director Taylor Sheridan have grown frustrated with his lack of commitment to the work.
It was also said that Costner hasn't been putting in as much time as required by his contract with the show, which has led to conflict between the star and the production. Costner and a number of other 'Yellowstone' stars weren't spotted at the PaleyFest panel earlier this week after the rumors subsided and everything went quiet for a while. People were talking about the entire tale, and it was supposed that things were less than ideal in the background.
Kevin Costner and Modern West
Costner took music seriously when he was younger, participating in the church choir and learning to play the piano and guitar. He met John Coinman in a Los Angeles acting workshop when he first came to Hollywood in the 1980s, and the two clicked away immediately. They soon formed the band Roving Boy with another friend, Blair Forward. When asked about that period, Costner reportedly responded, "That was really when none of us had any money. The workshop was free." Focusing on music became challenging as the band struggled and his acting career grew at the same time, as reported by Outsider.
Costner's wife, Christine Baumgartner, persuaded him to give it another shot in 2005. Coinman enlisted the aid of lead guitarist and producer Teddy Morgan, drummer Larry Cobb, and Park Chisolm to form the band Kevin Costner and Modern West.
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