'Yellowstone' star reveals it was 'easiest' to film the finale after Kevin Costner's exit: "There was a..."
Paramount Network's neo-classical drama series 'Yellowstone' came to an end with season 5. However, the absence of one of its main characters left a deep void, Kevin Costner's abrupt exit from the second half of the show in June 2024 came as a surprise. Luke Grimes who essayed the role of Kayce Dutton, the youngest son of Costner’s character, John Dutton III, recently told Esquire that it was 'easiest to film' after the veteran actor's exit. “To be really honest, there was a part of Kevin being gone that meant some of the conflict was gone,” he said. “Obviously, it didn’t make it super fun to be around. Not pointing any fingers, but it was actually the easiest season we’ve filmed.”
"No, I haven’t talked to him since," he shared. "It’s not a case of any hard feelings or anything; it’s just, he’s Kevin Costner. He’s a big deal. I do have his phone number; I don’t feel like it’s my place to reach out. He can reach out to me if he wants to," Grimes revealed in an exclusive with Men's Health Magazine. Costner hit back at Grimes's alleged public remarks when talking with Variety. "No, we‘re done talking," the 69-year-old actor said while referring to his co-star. Costner further stated that he hasn't been giving any thought to the drama series lately, “I’m not thinking about [the ‘Yellowstone’ finale]. I don’t think I’ve given it any thought, we’ll just let it go.”
Kevin Costner told GQ that he initially wanted to continue with Yellowstone, but over time, production kept getting delayed and the scripts never came. “I’m just not a dog that waits in a driveway… I just decided not to sit in the driveway, but to be busy myself.” pic.twitter.com/jcC8WM3ERc
— GQ Magazine (@GQMagazine) May 20, 2024
As per She Knows, the feud between Costner and the show's creator Taylor Sheridan weighed in on the cast and crew over months. With the conflict making its way to the press it grew difficult to work on the sets. Per sources, the 'Horizon' actor demanded $1.5 million per episode in addition to promotion charges. He also committed to only a week shoot schedule for the new episodes causing a rise in tension. “My opinion of Kevin as an actor hasn’t altered,” Sheridan told The Hollywood Reporter in an exclusive.
“His creation of John Dutton is symbolic and powerful and I’ve never had an issue with Kevin that he and I couldn’t work out on the phone. But once lawyers get involved, then people don’t get to talk to each other and start saying things that aren’t true and attempt to shift blame based on how the press or public seem to be reacting,” the show's creator further stated referring to Costner's legal team interference.
In the show, Dutton's character was killed off in an assassination-style plot in the Season 5 Part 2 premiere. The following day, Costner revealed that he got to know the news only in the morning. “I didn’t see it. I heard it’s a suicide,” he said while appearing on SiriusXM’s 'The Michael Smerconish Program'. “That doesn’t make me wanna rush to go see it.” Since the makers have announced that there won't be a season 6 Costner's character and exit will remain the highlight of the Yellowstone series.
