As Kevin Costner says goodbye to Dutton Ranch, his co-stars wish him safe travels.
Yellowstone star Neal McDonough praised working with Costner, 69, in an interview with TMZ as he weighed in on the reason for his departure from the hit Paramount show.
“I’ve always said, pound for pound, Kevin is not only one of the most talented guys of all time, but one of the guys I’ve ever worked with,” he said.
“We know each other and it was a really great honor to be a part of that show with him in that iconic character that he played,” McDonough, 58, added. “But things happen after time and schedules conflict.”
He continued, “I love Kevin like crazy, I also love (creator Taylor Sheridan) and David Glasser on 101…Yellowstone was something that was amazing to be a part of.”
Yellowstone star Neal McDonough praised working with Costner, 69, in an interview with TMZ while weighing in on the reason for his departure from the hit Paramount show.
McDonough also addressed reports of Costner’s breakup with Sheridan, 54, while addressing the actor’s reason for leaving.
‘It was really just a matter of timing. What Kevin was saying before is that he was doing Horizon, Taylor is doing his shows and he took a while to prepare for the final season.
‘So, it’s really between those guys. But I think Cole Hauser, stepping into that position now as the boss Dutton guy, I think he’ll be fine. I think fans will love the show.
But Kevin was what made the franchise. Kevin was, Kevin was everything. So, he will certainly be sorely missed on this show.
Costner, 69, previously made it official that he will not be reprising his role as John Dutton on the hit Western crime series when it returns for season 5B.
‘Hello everyone. I just want to reach out and let you know that after this long year and a half working on Horizon and doing everything necessary, and thinking about Yellowstone, that beloved series that I love, that I know you love, I just realized that I’m not going to to continue with season 5B or in the future,” Costner announced somberly as he looked into the camera.
Previous reports indicated that Costner was likely done with the series for good after conflicts between him and producers over salary, his schedule and his availability to film his multi-part western epic Horizon: An American Saga.
“It was something that really changed me,” Costner said of the Paramount Network series.
“I loved it and I know you loved it,” he reiterated. “I just wanted to let you know that I won’t be coming back.”
“I’ve always said, pound for pound, that Kevin is not only one of the most talented guys of all time, but one of the guys I’ve ever worked with,” he said.
‘It was really just a matter of timing. What Kevin was saying before is that he was doing Horizon, Taylor is doing his shows and he took a while to prepare for the final season. So, he really is among those guys,” McDonough said.
The actor and director concluded with what may have been a plea for his fans to watch his upcoming Horizon movies.
“I love the relationship we’ve been able to develop and I’ll see you in the movies,” he said as a slight smile crossed his lips.
The announcement means Costner’s last run of episodes was for season 5A, which aired from November 2022 to January 2023.
His character, the patriarch of the Dutton family, ran the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch, a fictional ranch that was the largest in Montana.
It bordered Yellowstone National Park and the Broken Rock Indian Reservation, often pitting the wealthy family against their Native American neighbors and the greedy developers who sought to take their land.
Before closing the door on the possibility of returning for Season 5B, Costner clashed with producers, as he reportedly wanted to film fewer days for the season to accommodate the filming of Horizon.
So far, that film is expected to earn a disappointing $12 million in its opening weekend, even though Costner has contributed $40 million of his own money to the passion project. However, his latest announcement may encourage some of his Yellowstone fans to buy a ticket to the high-profile western.
Costner has disputed reports about the nature of his disagreements over Yellowstone and complained that the show’s producers refused to defend him amid reports he disagreed with.
Costner, 69, previously made it official that he will not be reprising his role as John Dutton on the hit Western crime series when it returns for season 5B.
“It was something that really changed me,” Costner said of Yellowstone. ‘I loved it and I know you loved it’
The actor has also denied that his problems with the series were due to his Horizon filming schedule.
He said he was ready to return to film season 5B, but the scripts for the second half of the season were allegedly not written in time.
Some fans and critics have pointed the finger at showrunner and co-creator Taylor Sheridan, who has written all of the show’s scripts since the third season.
He is also the showrunner, writer and director of multiple Yellowstone spin-offs, as well as several other shows he has created for Paramount and its Paramount+ streaming service, leading some to suggest that he has tried too hard, making him led to supposedly not achieving it. produce scripts in time for Costner to film the second half of season five.
Sheridan has denied that he is too busy due to his multiple shows and other projects.
Costner also had the added aggravation during the downtime of his divorce from his wife Christine Baumgartner, during which the two fought in court over their prenuptial agreement and the financial support she was requesting.
Yellowstone and Costner fans flooded the comments of his new video to express their grief over his departure.
Several fans expressed the sentiment that Yellowstone simply wouldn’t work, or even exist, without Costner’s gravitas.
‘Well, this really breaks my heart. There’s no Yellowstone without you, sir,” one commenter lamented.
Yellowstone and Costner fans invaded the comments of his new video to express their regret for his departure
Several fans expressed the sentiment that Yellowstone simply wouldn’t work, or even exist, without Costner’s gravitas.
Several others applauded him for the nature of his announcement, as he avoided criticizing any of the other people involved in his departure.
While the comments were overwhelmingly positive toward Costner, some pulled the knife, including some Taylor Sheridan fans.
“There is no Yellowstone without Mr. Costner,” another fan agreed.
Several others applauded him for the nature of his announcement, as he avoided criticizing others involved in his departure.
“It was nice of him to update fans on the status of Yellowstone, a true gentleman through and through and attentive to his fans,” wrote one approving Instagram user.
Another said he couldn’t bring himself to like Costner’s post, but added, “Thank you for being honest and gentlemanly about it.” I wish you all the best in your future endeavors and can’t wait to see what’s next (dove and olive branch emojis).’
Others were more vocal about their regret that Costner was saying goodbye to Yellowstone for good.
‘NOOOOOOOOOOO MR. Dutton, please don’t do this to me,” commented one user who added a series of alternative broken heart and crying emojis.
While the comments were overwhelmingly positive toward Costner, some pulled the knife.
‘I’m 100% Team Taylor Sheridan. Goodbye Kevin!’ wrote one cheerful reviewer.
But even if his Yellowstone days were over for good, several of his fans made it clear that they would support his upcoming Horizon movies.
Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter One will be released in theaters on June 28 and Chapter Two will hit theaters on August 16.
Costner has already started filming Chapter Three and has said he plans to film Chapter Four at the same time.