'Yellowstone' fans have a surprising take about Kevin Costner: "He has consistently struggled to..."

'Yellowstone' maybe over but the buzz around the show, especially Kevin Costner's sudden exit from the show continues
PUBLISHED JAN 24, 2025
Kevin Costner as John Dutton in a still from 'Yellowstone' (Cover Image Source: Facebook | Yellowstone)
Kevin Costner as John Dutton in a still from 'Yellowstone' (Cover Image Source: Facebook | Yellowstone)

Kevin Costner has earned several accolades over four decades in the entertainment industry, taking on roles as an actor, producer, director, and musician since 1978. However, the recent 'Yellowstone' drama has brought attention to his acting abilities. Viewers were left disappointed by the unexpected exit of his character in the season finale, with many feeling his portrayal didn't fully live up to expectations. "Costner came across as an uncharismatic lead, unable to reach the dramatic levels required for the show. This isn't his first flop either; he's consistently struggled to be a strong lead in his past movies, which is why he never achieved the star status that many people seem to think he's had. He's simply not a great actor and certainly not a great lead," fans expressed on Reddit.



 

The unpopular opinion left them divided, "Kevin Costner 100% added nuance to the show the others could not. He has a vibe to him that makes him relatable which made the show work because even if he also was a POS, he thought he was doing the right thing. Once he left, there's no one to root for they're all POS with no redeeming qualities," a viewer pointed out. "All the other cast did. Beth, rip, Jamie, jimmy. The storyline was centered around them more than anything and they did a better job of carrying," an online user agreed referring to the theory that Costner didn't give 'main character' vibes.



 

"Kevin Costner played Kevin Costner. Same as every role he has ever had. I say this as a person who likes him and has a mother who has been in love with him for decades," a netizen praised the Oscar winner. "I’m a big fan of Kevin…I was kind of forced/outvoted to watch Dances with Wolves. He was phenomenal! I also watched Bull Durham and this was another winner (not a Western). I truly believe he is a great actor. How inhabited the role of John Dutton; he did so many bad things but most of us admired his stance on the land. Personally, I would have written him a bit differently for the end," another fan commented criticizing the ending of Costner's character.  

Kevin Costner at 'Yellowstone' premiere during the Cannes Lions Festival on June 21, 2018 in France. (Image Source: Getty Images| Photo by Richard Bord)
Kevin Costner at 'Yellowstone' premiere during the Cannes Lions Festival on June 21, 2018 in France. (Image Source: Getty Images| Photo by Richard Bord)

Costner, who has amassed a net worth of $250 million, remains one of the highest-paid actors in television, as per Celebrity Networth. He earned $1.3 million per episode for 'Yellowstone' Season 5 and when it comes to his film career, The Baltimore Sun reported that he made between $20 million and $30 million for the 1992 hit 'The Bodyguard'. It was also noted that he earned a staggering $50 million for his 1990 film 'Dances with Wolves'. According to Cosmopolitan, Costner took home $40 million each for 'Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves' (1991) and 'Waterworld' (1995).



 

In an exclusive with The Talks, the Emmy winner admitted that he chose his on-screen roles based on the script, “I’ll step through a window of opportunity, but if I don’t sense one, I’m very comfortable with what the script is. The script is what will sustain us.” He concluded by saying, "I work really hard on my scripts, harder than I think most people would ever think; I'm so anal about it, mostly because I don't want to change the script once we're out there."

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